Todays Top Stories

Editor: @PhoenixxDown

The Hardest Cycle?

The past few months have been brutal for crypto. For a supposed bull run, prices have been trending downward, and every morning you wake up with less than you had the night before. Strange times.

So, is relief on the way? Some of CT’s most influential traders and personalities are capitulating and stabling up. For many, this likely means taking profits rather than fully exiting. Bitcoin is still holding relatively strong, with its dominance sitting at 56%, but a large portion of market participants either don’t own Bitcoin or are heavily underweight—hence the doom-filled sentiment on the timeline.

Is it really over? Will alt season come? Or will Bitcoin just keep climbing without them?

Many are calling for a market top, pointing to:

• Historical Cycles – Post-halving years often see price peaks followed by corrections.

• Institutional Slowdown – With ETFs in place, major institutional buying could slow, capping further gains.

• Retail Is Here – The launch of $TRUMP onboarded many non-crypto native into the space, and subsequently they are extremely in the red on their investments.

But there are reasons this might not be the top:

• Bitcoin’s Fundamentals – Adoption is growing, especially in places like El Salvador, and a crypto-friendly U.S. government could drive further demand.

• Liquidity & Market Cap Growth – The total crypto market cap has expanded significantly, leaving room for further upside.

• Global Economic Factors – Bitcoin’s role as a hedge against market volatility remains strong.

Altcoins: Still Life Left?

Alts have struggled this cycle, with many bleeding heavily against Bitcoin. This could be due to:

• Market Maturity – Investors are favoring established projects with real-world use cases. Hyperliquid, for example, has held up better than many older alts.

• Liquidity Concentration – More money is flowing into Bitcoin, leaving altcoins starved of capital.

That said, there’s still a case for an altcoin revival:

• Historical Precedent – Alts have historically surged after Bitcoin’s initial post-halving run.

• Innovation – Projects solving real problems (scalability, privacy) still have potential.

• DeFi & NFTs – If compelling new projects emerge, they could spark a fresh wave of capital rotation.

Meme Coins: Dead or Just Sleeping?

Meme coins have seen a massive drop-off in value and attention. Remember that meme that was funny at a $500M market cap? Not so funny anymore!

A comeback isn’t impossible, though:

• New Narratives – If a fresh meme trend catches fire, we could see another boom.

• Utility Integration – Some meme coins are pivoting into DeFi, gaming, or AI, trying to evolve beyond pure speculation.

AI’s Role in Crypto’s Future

AI is playing an increasing role in market dynamics:

• AI-Driven Analysis – More traders are using AI tools for market predictions, which could either stabilize or amplify price swings.

• AI-Generated Projects – Decentralized AI protocols like Bittensor are gaining traction, potentially shifting market focus.

• AI Trading Bots – Automated strategies could smooth out volatility—or cause faster market reactions.

Some signs suggest we’re near a top, but more signs point to this far from being over. AI, global adoption, and regulatory shifts could still surprise many.

Whether altcoins and meme coins stage a recovery, or Bitcoin runs solo to $500K while everything else nukes a further 90%—this cycle is in it’s final phase, but a 2022 bear market scenario is likely not on the cards anytime soon.

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Todays Markets

Ordinals

Quantum Cats are looking strong again, up 15% while everything else resumes bleeding today, with Runestone taking the biggest hit at just under -7%.

With the FOMC meeting later today, uncertainty looms over how the broader market will react. It’ll be interesting to see whether buyers return for the other nine collections after the dust settles.

Meanwhile, TAP has entered the conversation in the ongoing debate about improving Runes. As a result, TAP-related Ordinals, particularly Bitmap and NatCats, have seen a rise in volume.

Runes

The onslaught continues after a brief respite yesterday, following the new $1,000 listing cap that eliminated the heavy bricks stifling floors.

Satoshi Nakamoto leads today’s gains with a 15.5% increase, fueled by speculation over who is behind it and what—if anything—will happen to the premined allocation.

Speaking of premines, the debate over improving Runes has sparked strong opinions on the matter.

There has been an ongoing consensus that Runes with premined allocations are not to be touched. While fair in theory, it also presents a challenge—without any premined supply, founding teams have no built-in funding for listings, marketing, or development unless they acquire the Rune in the same manner as everyone else.

It’s a valid point and something worth considering as we enter the next phase of Runes.

Todays Opportunities

Giveaways

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