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In a recent interview On FOX Business, Fred Thiel, CEO of bitcoin (btc) mining company MARA Holdings, advocated for an “invest and forget” strategy for retail investors looking to gain exposure to the world's leading digital currency.
Thiel cites bitcoin's positive historical performance
btc continues to trade within the mid-$90,000 range after a recent pullback from its all-time high (ATH) of $108,135. While crypto analysts closely follow the price movements of the flagship cryptocurrency, major btc holders seem less concerned about short-term fluctuations.
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Citing bitcoin's historical performance, Thiel advised retail investors to take a long-term approach. He noted that bitcoin has closed the year at a lower price only three times in its 14-year history, including during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thiel stated:
My recommendation, for my children, for example, is that they save a little bit each month in bitcoin and forget about it. After two, three, four years it grows and that's what people do.
Thiel also emphasized btc's steady growth, highlighting that it has appreciated annually by an average of 29% to 50%. However, btc remains a high-risk asset, and risk-averse investors may avoid it until the asset class gains broader acceptance or gains official recognition from a major global economy.
For example, establishing a strategic bitcoin reserve in the US could solidify the legitimacy of the cryptocurrency as an asset and potentially spark a domino effectencouraging other nations to follow suit. Thiel described such a reserve as a key catalyst in driving the price of bitcoin to new highs in 2025.
Additionally, Thiel pointed to high institutional participation through bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and favorable regulations on digital assets under the Trump administration as other factors that could support btc growth this year.
Although Thiel's advice was aimed at retail investors, recent data suggests that many are already planning to increase their bitcoin holdings. According to a survey conducted by MicroStrategy CEO Michael Saylor, more than 75% of 65,164 respondents intend to end 2025 with more btc than they started with.
The survey reflects growing enthusiasm among retail investors, fueled by bullish developments in 2024 such as ETF approvals, the bitcoin halving, and Trump's election victory in November.
More companies add btc to the balance sheet
bitcoin adoption among corporations continues to grow. While MARA Holdings already holds btc on its balance sheet, rival crypto mining company Hut 8 recently expanded their holdings to more than 10,000 btc.
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Other companies, such as the Japanese metaplanet and Canada Rumblejoined the bitcoin movement in 2024. Additionally, bitcoin ETFs have accumulated more than 1 million btc in less than a year since its launch.
However, skepticism persists. The Prime Minister of Japan recently voiced caution over the idea of establishing a strategic bitcoin reserve, reflecting lingering doubts in some quarters. At press time, btc is trading at $97,229, up 0.7% in the last 24 hours.
Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView.com
