@btcjvs
A CoinDesk analyst who reads Bitcoin through on-chain cost bases, implied volatility and funding rates. From March to May he kept making the case that the February low near $60,000 was the bottom. Bitcoin rallied to $82,018 on 11 May, then fell to $58,566 on 1 July. In June he switched and said the low might need $50,000 to $54,000. It came eight days later, higher than that. His August golden-cross piece caught the rally to $86,597.
In short. James Van Straten is a senior analyst at CoinDesk and posts on X as @btcjvs. On our sample of seven in-window calls the record is 1 played out, 3 open or mixed, 3 went against. His best call is the August golden cross. His weak spot is the bottom: he called it too early in May and too low in June.
His CoinDesk author page calls him a senior analyst “specializing in Bitcoin and its interplay with the macroeconomic environment”. It says he was a research analyst at Saidler & Co., a Swiss hedge fund, where he built his on-chain skills. His X bio reads “Senior Analyst @CoinDesk @Bullish | Advisory Board Member @CoinsiliumGroup”, and the account lists London as its location.
Most of what he publishes is daily market coverage: ETF flows, Strategy's Bitcoin buying, options expiries. Those pieces report data and rarely make a call. We charted only articles under his byline that take a view on where Bitcoin is heading, plus one X post. One charted article, from 24 March, was co-written with his CoinDesk colleague Omkar Godbole. We say so on its card.
The X post on 11 May, “The end of the bear and the start of the bull begin now”, went out while quoting CoinDesk's video of his interview with Michael Saylor. The words are his own post, so we charted it as his call.
Sources: coindesk.com (author: James Van Straten) · x.com/btcjvs (captured via api.fxtwitter.com)
Data first, then history. James takes one on-chain or derivatives metric, such as implied volatility, realized price, the RHODL ratio or funding rates, and asks what it did at past cycle lows. He hedges his language, with “may”, “could” and “if history is a guide”. The data work is careful. The bottom calls drawn from it were early in 2026.
Leaned bullish from March to May, calling the February low a likely bottom. Turned cautious in June, when he wrote that the low might need $50,000 to $54,000. Constructive again in August with the golden-cross piece, then wary in September on seasonality and the Fed's first rate hike in three years.
Seven dated calls from James Van Straten: six analyses under his byline on CoinDesk and one X post, each checked verbatim against its page and charted against real price. The tally is 1 played out, 3 open or mixed, 3 went against.
“That raises the possibility that another relief rally could give way to a prolonged bear market.”
Written the day after the Fed's first rate hike in three years, at $76,147. He compared it with March 2022, when Bitcoin rallied about 18% after the first hike and then fell about 50%. Bitcoin has not closed lower since. It rose to $86,597 (+13.7%) on 22 September and is at $86,440 (+13.5%). The relief rally came. The slide has not, so far. Open.
Source“That raises the possibility that another relief rally could give way to a prolonged bear market.” — James Van Straten, CoinDesk↗ coindesk.com“After climbing 25% in August, BTC’s strongest month since November 2024, the market could be due for a period of consolidation, if not a correction.”
Written at $78,553. Bitcoin moved sideways for two and a half weeks, dipping to $75,590 (−3.8%) on 16 September, which is not a correction. Then it broke out to $86,597 (+10.2%) on 22 September and ended September at $83,640 (+6.5%). It is at $86,440 (+10.0%). The consolidation came, but the correction did not. Mixed.
Source“the market could be due for a period of consolidation, if not a correction” — James Van Straten, CoinDesk↗ coindesk.com“Bitcoin’s improving momentum could produce a golden cross, but the rally still faces an important test.”
Published at 15:16 UTC, with Bitcoin above $71,000. The day's mark was $69,291 and the next was $73,021. He warned it could still be a relief rally, and that a fall back below the 200-day average would undo the case. That never happened. Bitcoin has not closed below $69,291 since. It reached $86,597 (+25.0%) on 22 September and is at $86,440 (+24.7%), 18.4% above the next day's mark. Played out.
Source“Bitcoin’s improving momentum could produce a golden cross” — James Van Straten, CoinDesk↗ coindesk.com“If large investors are motivated to defend their aggregate cost basis, a bear market low could potentially form somewhere in the $50,000 to $54,000 range.”
Written at $63,937. He added that Bitcoin “would likely need to trade below the aggregate realized price”, then about $53,457, before a real bottom. Bitcoin did fall through the 200-week average he named, to $58,566 (−8.4%) on 1 July. But it never reached his range, and that was the low. It is at $86,440 (+35.2%). Went against.
Source“a bear market low could potentially form somewhere in the $50,000 to $54,000 range” — James Van Straten, CoinDesk↗ coindesk.com“a number of onchain and derivatives metrics suggest the worst of the current correction may be in the past, especially as bitcoin is now trading back above $77,000.”
Written at $76,759, arguing that February's drop toward $60,000 was probably the cycle low. Bitcoin slid through June, broke below $60,000 on 26 June and hit $58,566 (−23.7%) on 1 July. That was below the February low. It is at $86,440 (+12.6%), but the worst of the correction came after the call. Went against.
Source“the worst of the current correction may be in the past” — James Van Straten, CoinDesk↗ coindesk.com“The end of the bear and the start of the bull begin now”
Posted at 20:57 UTC, while quoting CoinDesk's video of his interview with Michael Saylor. The day's mark, $82,018, was Bitcoin's highest until 22 September, and the next mark was $81,628. Bitcoin then fell to $58,566 (−28.6%) on 1 July. It is at $86,440 (+5.4%). The bear had not ended. Went against.
𝕏 Post“The end of the bear and the start of the bull begin now” — @btcjvs on X↗ x.com“So, if history is a guide, the bitcoin downtrend that began in October at highs above $126,000 has already ended.”
Co-written with Omkar Godbole, at $70,987. The argument was that implied volatility had peaked in February, as it does at cycle lows. Bitcoin rose to $82,018 (+15.5%) on 11 May, then fell to $58,566 (−17.5%) on 1 July, a little below the February low near $60,000. It is at $86,440 (+21.8%). The downtrend did not end in March, but the final low was close to the level the article pointed to. Mixed.
Source“the bitcoin downtrend that began in October at highs above $126,000 has already ended” — James Van Straten and Omkar Godbole, CoinDesk↗ coindesk.comOutcomes are our read of the stated claim against real price, not the author's own scoring. Every quote is verbatim from the page linked on its card. Each call is charted at that day's midnight CoinGecko mark. Where the article or post came out later in the day and the next mark had moved, the card gives both. Most of his articles are hedged, with “may” or “could”, so we graded what the article argued, not a single price target. We left out his daily market reports, which describe moves without making a call.
James's CoinDesk articles and X posts are free to read. Here is how he is paid, and what he holds.
He is a salaried senior analyst at CoinDesk. CoinDesk is owned by Bullish (NYSE: BLSH), a crypto exchange group, and his X bio tags both. CoinDesk's own disclosure says its staff, journalists included, may receive Bullish equity-based compensation.
His CoinDesk bio says he advises Coinsilium, a UK-listed company, on its Bitcoin treasury strategy. His X bio lists him on its advisory board. A company that holds Bitcoin gains when Bitcoin rises.
His CoinDesk bio states that he “holds an investment in Bitcoin”. It gives no size.
“The end of the bear and the start of the bull begin now”
11 May 2026 · went against“Bitcoin’s improving momentum could produce a golden cross”
20 Aug 2026 · played out“a bear market low could potentially form somewhere in the $50,000 to $54,000 range”
23 Jun 2026 · went againstQuotes transcribed from his own public sources; stated views, not recommendations.
James writes daily market analysis for CoinDesk and interviews industry figures on CoinDesk's video shows. He also posts charts on X.
A senior analyst at CoinDesk who writes about Bitcoin, on-chain data and macro. Before that he was a research analyst at the Swiss hedge fund Saidler & Co. He posts on X as @btcjvs, with about 50,000 followers, and lists London as his location.
On our sample of seven dated calls from 24 March to 17 September 2026: one played out, three are open or mixed, three went against. His August golden-cross piece was right. His calls on the 2026 bottom were early in May and too low in June.
Yes. His CoinDesk bio says he holds an investment in Bitcoin. He also advises Coinsilium, a UK-listed company, on its Bitcoin treasury strategy.
The average price at which every Bitcoin last moved on-chain, a rough cost basis for the whole market. In past bear markets Bitcoin dipped just below it before bottoming. In 2026 it bottomed above it, at $58,566.
Not publicly known, and no credible figure exists. Ignore any specific number you see attached to the name.
James reads Bitcoin through on-chain data and history. How close is your instinct? Measure it for real with a Trader Passport.
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Informational and educational analysis based strictly on publicly available materials: dated CoinDesk articles, X posts captured from X's public endpoints and the sources linked on each call. Not financial or investment advice. Figures are approximate and change constantly. Spotted an error, or are you James? Submit a correction →
Verified handles · Sources cited above · Scoring methodology · Updated 5 October 2026
