* Analyst expects Strategy to buy back bitcoin

* Warns selling pressure could weigh if currency falls

below $60k

* Strategy sold bitcoin holdings for first time since

2022

June 4 (Reuters) - Geoffrey Kendrick, one of the most

vocal crypto advocates, is sticking with his call for bitcoin to

hit $100,000 by the end of the year despite a "painful" week,

with the global head of digital assets research at Standard

Chartered pointing to resilient long-term demand.

The biggest crypto token has tumbled more than 15%

since Monday, when Michael Saylor's Strategy, the

largest corporate holder of bitcoin, disclosed that it had sold

some of the holdings for the first time since 2022.

"The timing of the sale was a shame," Kendrick wrote in a

note to clients. "This week has been painful in crypto. There is

really no other way of putting it."

The cryptocurrency has lost more than half its value since

hitting a peak in October last year, even as President Donald

Trump's administration has rolled out industry-friendly

policies.

Kendrick said there is a risk of further selling pressure if

bitcoin falls below $60,000, but given how sharply the currency

has underperformed equities this year, there are now fewer

bullish bets left to be unwound.

Bitcoin was last trading around $62,540. It has lost around

30% so far this year, while the S&P 500 index has jumped

10.4%.

However, "when we look back at the end of 2026 with bitcoin

at $100k we will say this was the buying zone we all wanted,"

Kendrick said.

He also expects an "aggressive" buying back of bitcoin from

Strategy, citing that the company did so the last time it sold.

Strategy's bitcoin holdings have long been viewed as a proxy

for Saylor's conviction in the industry. One of bitcoin's most

influential evangelists, he once posted on X, "Sell a kidney if

you must, but keep the Bitcoin."

The company said on Monday that proceeds from the sale of

bitcoin would be used to fund distributions on its preferred

stock. But the disclosure of the sale drew the ire of some on

social media.

Strategy's stock has dropped about 17% in 2026. The stock

gained nearly 14% between January and October last year, but

later fell in tandem with the massive decline in bitcoin prices.

(Reporting by Niket Nishant in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj

Kalluvila)