Tom Lee, the longtime Wall Street bull and Fundstrat Global Advisors head of research, says a new “crypto spring” may be underway, linking renewed strength in digital assets to the same AI-driven optimism fueling US equities.
Lee’s latest remarks come as Bitcoin trends higher and investor sentiment toward risk assets improves, with the strategist also predicting that 2027 could deliver “one of the biggest rallies we see in our lifetime.”
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On Wednesday, Lee’s bullish comment came in response to veteran technical analyst John Bollinger, creator of the widely followed Bollinger Bands indicator, who said Bitcoin’s trend had turned positive.
“Yesterday our trend model for Bitcoin turned positive, and we took a position in our Tactica program, which is now fully invested,” Bollinger wrote on X.
Lee, who has a long history of optimistic Bitcoin predictions, shared the post with the caption: “Crypto spring is here.”
— Thomas (Tom) Lee (not drummer) FundstratDirect.com (@fundstrat) May 6, 2026
His latest endorsement arrives as crypto markets attempt to regain momentum after months of volatility.
At the time of reporting, Bitcoin’s price was trading at around $81,079, up almost 20% over the past month.
However, a small 2% pullback in the last 24 hours reflects a pause after a recent rally, analysts said, driven by institutional profit-taking and a failed technical breakout.
AI Boom Pushing Broader Market Rally
Speaking on CNBC on Wednesday, Lee tied the crypto optimism to what he described as a broader bullish backdrop for equities, driven by AI-related demand and semiconductor scarcity.
“Stocks are rising for the right reasons,” Lee said, pointing to strong corporate earnings.
He added that semiconductor stocks still do not appear excessively valued despite recent gains.
“The forward P/E of the semi index is still only 22 times,” Lee said.
Adding: “They’ve gotten as high as 35 times over the last 20 years. So to me, there’s still pretty good risk reward.”
Lee also said large amounts of capital remain on the sidelines despite the recent rally.
“There was so much skepticism as the war started and reached its crescendo that we do believe there’s still a lot of money on the sidelines,” he said.
He added that retail investors may now be driving some of the sharp moves in semiconductor and memory-related stocks.
2027 Major Rally Prediction
At the center of Lee’s thesis is the belief that AI could materially boost US economic growth without reigniting inflation pressures.
“One of the recurring themes is that AI for the US is probably adding two percentage points to GDP each year for the next five years,” Lee said from the Milken Institute Global Conference.
“That is like 6% S&P earnings growth coming from AI productivity.”
Lee acknowledged potential risks later this year, including uncertainty surrounding a new Federal Reserve chair and concerns over global petroleum supply disruptions.
Still, he argued the long-term setup remains constructive.
“AI and the scarcity — and the US is the provider of that scarcity — is why I think we can exit 7700 or higher,” Lee said.
He added that “maybe 2027 is one of the biggest rallies we see in our lifetime.”
Lee’s Mixed Track Record — From $250,000 To Crypto Spring
Lee’s bullish stance has drawn renewed attention after several high-profile stock market calls proved directionally accurate, despite several missed crypto outlooks.
In 2023, he was among the few major strategists forecasting a strong rally in the S&P 500 while many on Wall Street expected a recession-driven decline.
His year-end target of 4,750 came close to the benchmark’s actual close of 4,769.
He maintained a constructive outlook through 2024, repeatedly citing AI-driven productivity gains and post-drawdown recoveries as reasons for continued upside in equities.
However, Lee’s forecasting record has been less on the money in crypto price targets.
Critics have frequently labeled him a “perma-bull,” noting that he has repeatedly issued aggressive Bitcoin forecasts that failed to materialize.
In January, Lee said he expected Bitcoin to reach a new all-time high this year and potentially surge to $250,000.
“We think Bitcoin will make a new high this year,” Lee said on the Master Investor podcast. “If Bitcoin makes a new all-time high, we know that that deleveraging event is behind us.”
Lee reiterated his longstanding view of Bitcoin as “digital gold,” while acknowledging that cryptocurrency ownership still lags behind that of traditional precious metals among investors.
“More people own gold than own crypto,” Lee said. “But the path to getting that adoption rate higher is going to be very jagged.”
Kurt Robson is a London-based reporter at CCN, specialising in the fast-moving worlds of crypto and emerging technology. He began his career covering local news in Cornwall after graduating from Falmouth University with First Class Honours in Journalism. There, he cut his teeth on everything from council meetings to missing swans.
He quickly rose through the ranks to become a frontline journalist at several of the UK’s leading national newspapers. Over the years, he has interviewed musicians and celebrities, reported from courtrooms and crime scenes, and secured multiple front-page exclusives.
Following the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kurt shifted his focus to technology journalism—just ahead of the AI boom. With a natural curiosity and a trained eye for emerging trends, he has found a new rhythm in reporting on innovation.
At CCN, Kurt's work focuses on the cutting edge of crypto, blockchain, AI, and the evolving digital world. Drawing on his background in people-first reporting and his deep interest in disruptive tech, Kurt delivers stories that are insightful, entertaining, and human-centric.
