Bankless

Investors should consider a long position in Near Protocol (NEAR) as it positions itself as the decentralized "Linux of AI," offering privacy-focused infrastructure that bypasses increasing government censorship. Monitor the growth of Confidential TVL on the Near network as a primary indicator of adoption for its "Sovereign Mode" and private data features. As centralized models like Anthropic’s Claude and OpenAI face stricter export controls and data monitoring, demand is shifting toward Open Source alternatives and decentralized compute providers. Focus on the DePIN (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks) sector, which aggregates idle GPU power to provide cheaper, censorship-resistant AI training and inference. To hedge against the "balkanization" of the internet, prioritize assets that facilitate digital sovereignty, specifically Stablecoins, VPNs, and Web3 protocols that operate independently of nation-state restrictions.

Accumulate Ethereum (ETH) as a high-conviction "safe" mega-cap trade, as it remains significantly below its all-time high and offers a cleaner recovery setup than Bitcoin (BTC) or Solana (SOL). Maintain a long-term core position in Bitcoin (BTC) to hedge against future fiat debasement, with a speculative price target of $1,000,000 following an expected AI-driven credit crisis by 2027. Diversify into energy commodities like ExxonMobil (XOM) or oil services funds, targeting a price surge in WTI Oil to $120–$150 within the next 6 to 12 months. Monitor decentralized perpetual exchanges like Hyperliquid (HYPE) as the future leaders of crypto trading, but favor spot positions over high-leverage trades to manage volatility. Exercise extreme caution with AI stocks and high-valuation AI tokens, as chip obsolescence and competition from low-cost Chinese models like DeepSeek threaten current profit margins.

Bitcoin (BTC) is currently testing its critical 200-week moving average at $62,600, with analysts expecting a definitive price resolution by the end of June.

Investors should exercise extreme caution with MicroStrategy (MSTR) as the stock faces downward pressure toward 0.7x Net Asset Value, though the "Stretch" yield product offers a potential high-risk entry at a 20% discount to par.

Jito (JTO) remains a high-conviction momentum play following its 70% rally, driven by the new JTX exchange which directs 80% of fees toward JTO token buybacks.

Coinbase (COIN) is a primary long-term pick as it evolves into an "everything exchange" by launching tokenized stocks, AI advisory services, and pre-IPO trading for firms like OpenAI.

Prepare for increased market volatility and a potential hawkish shift in interest rates as the Federal Reserve moves away from forward guidance under new leadership.

Investors should look to Re (RE) as a high-conviction play to capture real-world insurance premiums on-chain, offering yields that are entirely uncorrelated with Bitcoin or equity markets.

For conservative portfolios, the ReUSD senior layer provides a liquid, low-risk entry point targeting yields 2.5% above the risk-free rate.

Aggressive investors can target 12-14% returns via the ReUSDE mezzanine layer, or achieve 20%+ yields by "looping" these assets as collateral on DeFi platforms like Morpho, Pendle, or Fluid.

The RE governance token offers a long-term bet on the protocol becoming the decentralized "Lloyd’s of London," benefiting from a projected scale-up to $1 billion in backed business within seven months.

As the stablecoin market expands toward a projected $5 trillion, holding USDC in productive assets like Re allows investors to capture institutional-grade spreads that were previously inaccessible to the public.

Treat established Pokémon cards as "Blue Chip" assets, focusing on high-grade PSA 10 versions of iconic characters like Charizard to capitalize on Millennial disposable income. For higher growth potential, look to the One Piece TCG, which functions like a high-performing "Altcoin" with massive upside tied to new media releases on platforms like Netflix. Monitor digital "Gacha" platforms like Courtyard and Collector Crypt, as their high-volume buyback programs serve as leading indicators for physical card demand. Investors should utilize "Phygital" infrastructure and vaults in no-sales-tax states to trade high-value assets efficiently while avoiding the shipping and tax friction of physical ownership. In the sports sector, focus on modern superstars like Shohei Ohtani and Victor Wembanyama, using tools like Card Ladder to track performance-driven price volatility across auction houses.

U.S. investors should prepare for a "gold rush" of regulated perpetual futures as Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Solana (SOL) are now classified as digital commodities, allowing exchanges like Coinbase and Kraken to fast-track new trading pairs. You can now gain institutional-grade exposure to BTC through Kalshi, the first onshore venue for perpetuals, which offers a safer, regulated alternative to offshore platforms. Keep a close watch on major Layer 1 tokens beyond the "Big Three," as 17 additional assets have already begun the self-certification process for U.S. listing. For those seeking high-growth opportunities, monitor the "perpification" of private equities, which may soon allow retail access to pre-IPO price action for companies like SpaceX and OpenAI. While blue-chip assets will scale quickly, expect a much slower rollout for Meme Coins and NFTs as they face stricter manual regulatory reviews for market manipulation.

With Bitcoin (BTC) currently in its deepest drawdown of the cycle, investors should consider deploying 50% of their sidelined cash at current levels and reserving the remaining 50% for a potential "wick down" into the $50,000s. Ethereum (ETH) is showing signs of a contrarian buying opportunity as institutional players like Metaplanet begin replicating the MicroStrategy (MSTR) playbook by leveraging native staking yields. While pre-IPO valuations for SpaceX, Anthropic, and OpenAI are currently considered too high for public entry, their "pre-market" perpetual contracts on crypto platforms serve as essential leading indicators for future pricing. Zcash (ZEC) presents a high-risk "buy the dip" opportunity following a 50% price tumble caused by a recently patched security flaw, provided upcoming audits confirm no exploit occurred. For long-term growth, monitor the shift toward institutional "ledger technology" like Morpho, which is gaining significant market share over traditional decentralized protocols like Aave.

Consider Lighter (LIT) as a high-upside "beta" play to the current market leader Hyperliquid (HYPE), as it currently trades at a significantly lower $1.16B FDV compared to HYPE’s ~$60B valuation. Investors should focus on LIT due to its unique zero-fee model for retail users and a protocol design that uses 100% of revenue to buy back and burn tokens. Monitor Lighter’s expansion into Real-World Assets (RWAs) and pre-IPO markets like SpaceX, which are becoming major volume drivers for decentralized exchanges. Watch for Lighter’s potential "white-glove" integrations with Telegram Wallet and InSilico, which aim to capture a massive new wave of retail distribution. While high growth is expected, be mindful of future token unlocks for LIT and the ongoing race to secure the first regulated U.S. perpetual swaps license.

Investors should consider Venice (VVV) as a high-conviction play on the intersection of AI and DePIN, specifically targeting the growing demand for private, uncensored machine intelligence. You can gain exposure by holding or staking the VVV utility token, which benefits from a deflationary "buy and burn" mechanism fueled by the platform's "Pro" subscriber revenue. Staking VVV allows you to mint DIEM, a unique financial primitive representing a perpetual right to $1 of daily AI compute that can be used, traded, or rented to others. Venice provides a strategic gateway to Elon Musk’s Grok model with a "zero data retention" guarantee, making it an actionable alternative for users frustrated by the strict content filters of OpenAI or Anthropic. As the "Agentic Web" expands, DIEM is positioned to become the primary liquid asset for autonomous AI agents requiring permissionless access to processing power.

Investors should monitor Bitcoin (BTC) near its 200-week moving average, as this critical support level represents a "fair value" entry point following recent ETF outflows. For those seeking sustainable yield, Bitmine offers a more robust model than MicroStrategy (MSTR) by using Ethereum (ETH) staking rewards to fund its 9.5% preferred stock dividends without diluting principal. High-conviction opportunities are emerging in AI-linked tokens like WorldCoin (WLD) and Humanity, which are decoupling from the broader market and trading as proxies for the AI boom. Ethena (ENA) is a top-tier pick for growth as Coinbase begins integrating its yield products, providing a massive new distribution channel for its synthetic dollar. Finally, keep an eye on Hyperliquid and other revenue-generating "Real World Asset" platforms that are showing strength despite volatility in major assets.

Investors should prioritize Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) as they have achieved the highest level of institutional legitimacy and regulatory resilience within Washington D.C. policy circles. Monitor the Clarity Act closely through September 2024; its passage is a 45% probability event that would serve as a massive bullish catalyst for institutional on-ramping. Be cautious with DeFi protocols and smaller altcoins, as these remain high-risk targets for hostile anti-money laundering (AML) amendments pushed by the banking lobby. Traditional banking stocks may face volatility as they lobby aggressively against stablecoin yield provisions to protect regional bank deposits. If major legislation fails to pass by the end of this month, prepare for a "regulatory desert" with limited policy progress until potentially 2028.

Investors should consider Zcash (ZEC) as a high-conviction hedge against Bitcoin, specifically targeting its current undervaluation and the network's transition toward post-quantum security. Monitor the Shielded Pool metric; as more ZEC moves from transparent addresses to private ones (currently over 32%), exchange liquidity decreases, creating potential for reflexive upward price momentum. To benefit from the asset's privacy features and "sticky" adoption, investors must move holdings off exchanges like Coinbase or Gemini and into self-custody wallets like Zodl or Keystone. Watch for the expansion of the Zodl ecosystem, which aims to become the "Coinbase of Zcash" by integrating private wealth storage with Ethereum, Solana, and USDC swaps. Given the "1,000-day window" of favorable regulatory cycles, the time to establish positions in privacy-centric infrastructure is now, before these tools become "too big to kill."

Investors should exercise caution with Bitcoin (BTC) as it faces significant ETF outflows and a potential drop toward the $55,000 level or lower if current macro instability persists. Ethereum (ETH) is currently experiencing a sentiment crisis, with market participants pricing in a 60% probability of the asset falling to $1,500 before the end of the year. Due to the rise of AI-driven smart contract vulnerabilities, investors are advised to reduce exposure to major DeFi protocols like Aave, MakerDAO, and Compound. For those seeking growth outside of the majors, Hyperliquid (HYPE) and Near Protocol (NEAR) show strong relative momentum, though these "up-and-comers" remain risky if the broader market continues to decline. A strategic pivot toward the AI and Robotics sector via the BOT fund or high-performing tech equities like Micron (MU) may offer a more stable alternative to the current volatility in digital assets.

Investors should consider NEAR Protocol (NEAR) as a primary play on "Agentic Commerce," where AI agents use the blockchain as a private, cross-chain settlement layer. The protocol has implemented a deflationary fee-burn mechanism similar to Ethereum, already removing 3 million NEAR from circulation with a target of becoming fully deflationary as AI transaction volume scales. For those preferring traditional equities, Sovereign (SVRN) acts as a NASDAQ-listed proxy that aggressively accumulates NEAR tokens and builds infrastructure for the ecosystem. Institutional demand is rising, evidenced by record inflows into European staking ETPs and a valuation gap that suggests the asset is currently underpriced relative to its $20 billion in processed volume. Focus on the "Chain Abstraction" theme, as NEAR aims to become the universal connective tissue for liquidity across Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other major networks.

Cloudflare (NET) is a high-conviction infrastructure play as it positions itself as the "immune system" for the 20% of web traffic it manages, specifically targeting the surge in AI bot traffic expected by 2027. Investors should monitor Coinbase (COIN) and its Base network as they collaborate on the X402 protocol to enable micro-payments for AI agents, bypassing traditional high-fee rails like Visa. There is a massive "screaming need" for high-performance Layer 1 or Layer 2 blockchains capable of scaling to 100 million transactions per second to support this new agentic economy. Reddit (RDDT) and Substack represent top-tier opportunities in the "unique data" sector, as their proprietary content commands premium licensing fees from AI labs looking to bridge the data gap with Google (GOOGL). Conversely, avoid generic ad-supported media companies, as AI "answer engines" like ChatGPT and Perplexity are rapidly cannibalizing the traditional click-and-ad revenue model.

Investors should consider reducing exposure to Ethereum (ETH) in the short term as internal talent departures and a shift in sentiment toward "stagnation" suggest it may underperform other assets. Hyperliquid (HYPE) represents a high-conviction momentum play, recently reaching a $56.5 billion valuation by offering unique synthetic trading for pre-IPO companies like SpaceX and OpenAI. The privacy sector is seeing a significant rotation, with Zcash (ZEC) and Venice (VVV) emerging as top performers for those looking to move "down market" into niche growth areas. For conservative yield seekers, professionalized Morpho vaults managed by Wintermute or Bitwise offer a safer way to capture 4% to 8% returns on USDC. While macro stagflation poses a risk to all "risk-on" assets, the long-term bull case remains strong for Bitcoin (BTC) as a hedge against inevitable currency debasement.

Investors should view Bitcoin (BTC) as a foundational credit asset rather than a speculative token, noting that its 200-week moving average has historically compounded at 30% annually. For those seeking income with lower volatility, the SATA preferred equity from Strive (STRV) offers a 13% yield with daily dividends backed by Bitcoin reserves. High-conviction investors can gain leveraged exposure to price appreciation through MicroStrategy (MSTR), which typically trades at a 1.5x to 1.7x beta relative to Bitcoin. These digital credit instruments aim to disrupt the $300 trillion fixed-income market by providing more liquidity and transparency than traditional bank deposits or real estate. While these products mitigate some risk, investors must remain aware that they are underwriting the management teams of STRV and MSTR and the long-term price floor of Bitcoin.

Investors should consider a "barbell" portfolio strategy, holding Bitcoin (BTC) and Zcash (ZEC) as stores of value on one end, with high-performance assets like Solana (SOL) or Hyperliquid on the other. Zcash (ZEC) is currently undergoing an institutional re-rating as a "private Bitcoin," with major backing from Multicoin Capital and a supply-side reset as early sellers exit. As AI-driven de-anonymization makes public ledgers easier to track, the demand for ZEC’s math-based encryption is expected to rise among high-net-worth individuals seeking "Swiss vault" privacy. Watch for upcoming technical catalysts in 2025, including a reduction in block times to 25 seconds and the transition to a fully quantum-proof network. While Bitcoin remains the gold standard, its lack of fungibility due to "tainted coins" creates a significant market gap that Zcash is positioned to fill as a primary privacy hedge.

The potential passage of the Clarity Act within the next 7 to 9 weeks serves as a major upside catalyst, with the probability of it becoming law recently upgraded to 75%. While Bitcoin (BTC) remains a core holding with long-term targets of $250,000, smart-contract platforms like Ethereum (ETH) and Solana (SOL) are expected to outperform if the bill resolves their current regulatory ambiguity. Investors should monitor Coinbase (COIN) and OKX, as these platforms are leading the integration of tokenized traditional assets like NYSE stocks. If the bill restricts centralized exchanges from offering passive stablecoin yields, expect a significant surge in capital flowing into DeFi protocols as users seek on-chain returns. Regardless of the legislative outcome, the entry of firms like Morgan Stanley and Schwab suggests that institutional adoption is now irreversible, providing a strong floor for the digital asset market.

NVIDIA (NVDA) remains a high-conviction buy as the removal of China trade restrictions eliminates a major risk factor, supporting its climb toward new all-time highs. Investors should look to Micron (MU) and the DRAM ETF to capture the next phase of the AI boom, which is shifting focus from processing power to memory storage. Ethereum (ETH) presents a significant value opportunity at $2,300, as massive institutional adoption from BlackRock and JP Morgan has not yet been priced into the market. Bitcoin (BTC) is entering a "slow grind up" phase, with a technical floor established at $79,000 supported by aggressive institutional buying from MicroStrategy. For a diversified infrastructure play, Galaxy (GLXY) offers unique exposure to both AI data centers and institutional crypto services.