Chief Investment Officer of Bitwise Matt Hougan cautions cryptocurrency investors against investing in high-value projects. Hougan claims that the “wealth effect” occurs in the cryptocurrency market when traders make money on their Bitcoin investments and then reinvest it in riskier cryptocurrency assets. Price increases are a result of this for the entire market.
In a recent series of posts on X (formerly Twitter), Hougan explained that Bitcoin’s recent price rally has encouraged investors to spread their gains into more dubious crypto tokens. This gives an undeserved sense of legitimacy to lower-quality projects trading at inflated valuations. “Be careful out there. Many terrible projects get funded in exuberant bull markets, and many are already trading at crazy valuations,” Hougan cautioned.
On March 7th, Cointelegraph reported that altcoins, led by memecoins and AI-themed cryptos, had outperformed Bitcoin over the previous week. Hougan reiterated that this trend is driven by investors who made money on Bitcoin, felt wealthy, and sought more speculative assets, hoping for even higher returns. “Crypto natives make money in Bitcoin, feel rich, and then look for more speculative assets to invest in,” he stated.
Bitcoin’s Record Highs: Bitwise Analysis & Altcoin Dynamics
Bitcoin hit fresh all-time highs, reaching $70,184 on March 8th. While significant, Hougan challenged the notion that Bitcoin’s percentage gains alone drive the altcoin frenzy. He argued that the sheer size of Bitcoin’s market cap increase—over $1 trillion since the November 2022 lows—is the real catalyst behind the “wealth effect” and resulting alt season.
“What catalyzes alt season is not the percentage return of bitcoin but the cumulative size of the wealth effect. And since the November 2022 lows, bitcoin’s market cap has grown by $1 trillion,” Hougan explained. He contrasted this to previous cycles where Bitcoin’s market cap increases were smaller in dollar terms at similar points despite higher percentage gains.
With the unfortunate prevalence of scams in crypto, there are legitimate reasons to be wary of unproven projects seeing unsustainable price surges. Blockchain security firm Immunefi reported $1.8 billion in losses to Web3 hacks and fraud in 2023 alone. As AI capabilities advance, executing convincing scams may become even easier. Investors are advised to remain vigilant.
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Furthermore, the author’s views are for reference only and shall not constitute investment advice. Before purchasing, please ensure you fully understand and assess the products and associated risks.
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