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GM. This is Milk Road, we make catching up on crypto "Easy like a Sunday morning", every day of the week!
Here’s what we got for you today:
- ✍️ Is alt season cancelled?
- ✍️ The ripple effects of a new regulation
- 🎙️ The Milk Road Show: How Bad Is This Pullback? Bitcoin, Macro & Key Support Levels w/ Real Vision’s Chief Crypto Analyst
- 🍪 Trump org files trademark to launch metaverse and NFT trading platform
Prices as of 2:00 PM ET. Click here for our Fear & Greed Index.
IS ALTCOIN SEASON CANCELLED? 😰
Back in the day, there were only three TV channels – which meant media attention was highly focused.
(If there was a hot new TV show, most people would be invested in it.)
Now, there are 126 cable channels in the US alone, and hundreds of thousands of shows spread across multiple streaming platforms globally.
So while the amount of content has skyrocketed, the focus of each viewer has been fragmented.
We believe we’re seeing the same thing happen in the altcoin space.
In January alone, there were an estimated 3M new tokens released, and as of right now, there are a total 39.5M crypto tokens in existence.
And it’s only going to increase from here. 👇
For context: there were an average of 1.63M coins/tokens in existence in 2020-2021, ~40k in 2017-2018 and less than 500 in 2013-2014.
Meaning, right now, investors’ altcoin attention is more fragmented than it has ever been.
So much so that some are saying there won’t be a prolonged altcoin season this cycle (aka: a time in which 75% of the Top 50 coins outperform Bitcoin over the trailing 90 days).
But we disagree with that theory.
We still believe an altcoin season is likely – but it comes with a couple caveats.
1/ Forget timing, focus on the data.
People love to get stuck on the timing of altcoin seasons – but alt seasons don’t correlate with specific dates as much as they do the ISM.
(The ISM is a survey where US companies are asked: “Are you stocking up on goods right now in preparation for future growth?”)
The more goods they’re buying → the more positive their future outlook is → the brighter the outlook → risky assets (like altcoins) do well in times of increased growth.
Long story longer: once the ISM is over 50, it typically indicates that altcoin season is approaching.
And guess who just breached 50 for the first time in about a year…
We could dip below 50 again (this thing is updated monthly) – but for now, it’s a good sign!
2/ This altcoin season won’t be sector-wide
With the 39M+ altcoins in existence – the days of ‘throw a dart at an alt and it will probably rip throughout altseason’ are likely behind us.
This means if you’re looking for returns, it’s time to stop guessing, and start looking at fundamentals.
The second easiest method for picking fundamentally strong alts right now is this:
Look for those implementing token buybacks and burns (explained here), think: Maker ($MKR), Raydium ($RAY), Jupiter ($JUP), etc.
(If they literally have money to burn, they’re doing something right.)
The easiest method? That would be going PRO and letting our research team find the winners for you.
…but before alt season can begin, we need this pullback to reverse itself.
Good news is, we just spoke to Real Vision’s Chief Crypto Analyst, Jamie Coutts, about when we can expect markets to shift!
Check it out below. 👇
YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts
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THE RIPPLE EFFECTS OF A NEW REGULATORY REGIME 🌊
Here are four pieces of quick-hitting bullish news coming from the US regulatory space that’ll send you into the weekend buzzing with excitement. ⚡️
1/ $SOL Futures launching on the CME
Why should you care that fuddy-duddy TradFi folk will soon be able to bet on the future price of Solana via the stock market?
‘Cause Futures ETFs usually precede US-based spot crypto ETF launches.
Which could indicate the SEC is slowly but surely getting ready to make spot $SOL TradFi-tradeable, and open the token up to a whole new audience of deep-pocketed investors!
2/ The SEC’s ‘Enforcement Era’ is coming to a quick close
We’ve already written about the SEC closing its enforcement cases against Coinbase, Robinhood, OpenSea, and Gemini – but now we get to add another to the list!
Consensys (creators of MetaMask) just had their case dropped. Hell yeah! 💪
3/ Banks and payments companies are ready to build in the stablecoin space
Bank of America (the second-largest US bank by total deposits, holding $1.91T) said it is ready to launch a stablecoin if the STABLE and GENIUS Acts pass.
Meanwhile, Stripe (the biggest payment company in the world) mentioned stablecoins no fewer than 13 times in their annual letter – calling them "room-temperature superconductors for financial services".
(Which is nerd talk for: “they are the holy grail of financial services”.)
4/ “Most memecoins are not securities” – The SEC
Pinch me. No. Harder.
The SEC just released an official statement saying most memecoins do not meet the criteria of securities. 😧
If anyone needs us, we’ll be doing jumping jacks in the corner, trying to burn some of this excited energy off.
WE JUST LAUNCHED OUR OWN DEX! 😎
Does your current DEX go ‘MOOO!’ every time you place a trade? Ours does!
We’ve just partnered with CoW Swap and Raydium to launch Milk Road Swap!
A super simple, user-friendly decentralized exchange that lets you trade on Ethereum (mainnet), Base, Arbitrum, and Solana!
Here’s everything you need to know about Milk Road Swap:
- It is the only DEX that allows you to trade both ERC-20 and Solana tokens
- Boasts 0.15% fees via CoW Swap (ERC-20), compared to 0.25% with Uniswap or 0.5-1.2% with Coinbase, and has zero MEV on all ERC-20 trades
- Plus: Milk Road Swap features super-simple guides on how to swap onchain for those that are new to crypto (baked right into the interface)
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BITE-SIZED COOKIES FOR THE ROAD 🍪
Want a cash loan without selling your crypto? SALT lets you lock up your crypto as collateral and get fiat loans in return. Yep, this is a thing—and it’s pretty genius.**
More features coming in hot! MetaMask plans to add Solana functionality to their wallet by May 2025, and Bitcoin by Q3 2025.
Trump org files trademark to launch metaverse and NFT trading platform. What is this, 2021?
Base has a need. A need for speed! ‘Flashblocks’ are promising to make Base the fastest EVM chain to date!
Meet Fast $USDC—because your $USDC should work as hard as you do. Instant, low-cost transfers with zero headaches.*
*This is sponsored content. **This is partner content.
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DISCLAIMER: None of this is financial advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. Please be careful and do your own research.
