ROLLUP: One Chart Determines if We're in a Bull or Bear Market
ROLLUP: One Chart Determines if We're in a Bull or Bear Market
239 days agoBankless
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Quick Insights

The crypto bull market is expected to resume, driven by all-time high global liquidity, though a slow September may occur first. A new Solana (SOL) Digital Asset Trust with $1.65 billion in commitments presents a significant short-term buying catalyst for the asset. Consider SBET, an Ethereum-focused trust, which is initiating a $1.5 billion share buyback while trading at a discount to the value of its crypto holdings. The inclusion of Robinhood (HOOD) in the S&P 500 creates a structural tailwind as index funds are now required to purchase the stock. Ethereum (ETH) remains a strong long-term investment due to its clear dominance in the tokenization of Real World Assets (RWA).

Detailed Analysis

General Market Sentiment

  • The hosts discuss whether the crypto bull market is over, concluding that it is not, based on a key chart: Global Liquidity.
  • The Weekly Global Liquidity Chart is presented as the single most important indicator for the crypto market's direction.
  • Currently, global liquidity is at an all-time high of approximately $185 trillion and is continuing to increase.
  • The hosts believe that crypto prices, particularly Bitcoin, tend to lag changes in global liquidity. Since liquidity is rising, they predict the bull market will resume after a potentially slow September ("Downtimber").

Takeaways

  • Bullish Outlook: The primary sentiment is bullish for the crypto market in the medium to long term, driven by increasing global liquidity.
  • Leading Indicator: Investors can monitor global liquidity charts as a potential leading indicator for the overall direction of the crypto market.
  • Patience Required: The market may experience short-term downturns or flat periods, but the underlying liquidity suggests future growth.

Bitcoin (BTC)

  • The price of Bitcoin was reported to be $114,500, up 4.5% on the week.
  • The hosts view Bitcoin's price action as a proxy for the entire crypto market and believe it is heavily influenced by global liquidity trends.
  • Digital Asset Trusts (DATs) holding Bitcoin are a significant theme, with ETH-based DATs now catching up to Bitcoin DATs in terms of network supply percentage.

Takeaways

  • Positive Momentum: Bitcoin showed positive weekly performance, reinforcing the broader bullish market sentiment.
  • Liquidity Correlation: Investors should consider the relationship between global liquidity and Bitcoin's price. A continued rise in liquidity is a strong bullish signal for Bitcoin.

Ethereum (ETH)

  • The price of ETH was reported to be $4,430, up 3% on the week.
  • The hosts are very bullish on Ethereum's dominance in the Real World Assets (RWA) sector.
    • Ethereum L1 and EVM chains combined hold 95% of all stablecoins, 86% of tokenized treasuries, and 99% of tokenized gold.
    • Major financial institutions like Fidelity are launching products on Ethereum, such as a new money market fund that already has over $200 million in assets.
  • The growth of the OP Stack ecosystem, with chains like Ronin and Upbit's GIWA choosing to build on it, is seen as a positive catalyst for Ethereum.

Takeaways

  • Strong RWA Position: Ethereum is the clear leader in the tokenization of real-world assets. This could be a major long-term growth driver for the ecosystem and the ETH asset.
  • Institutional Adoption: The entry of major players like Fidelity validates Ethereum's role as a foundational layer for the future of finance.
  • Ecosystem Growth: The expanding Layer 2 ecosystem strengthens Ethereum's network effects and long-term value proposition.

Solana (SOL)

  • SOL has seen strong performance, up 25% over the last 30 days, outperforming ETH.
  • This performance is linked to a potential "DAT rotation," where investor interest shifts from Bitcoin and Ethereum DATs to Solana DATs.
  • A new, large Solana DAT is being launched, chaired by Kyle Samani of Multicoin Capital. It has reportedly raised $1.65 billion in cash and stablecoin commitments, which could translate to significant new buying pressure for SOL.
  • A counter-argument was presented that Kyle Samani is already a well-known Solana bull, so his involvement may not attract a net-new audience in the same way Michael Saylor did for Bitcoin.

Takeaways

  • Bullish Narrative: The "DAT rotation" narrative and the launch of a major new DAT are strong short-to-medium-term bullish catalysts for SOL.
  • Potential for Inflow: The $1.65 billion raised for the new DAT could create significant demand for SOL if deployed into the market.
  • Monitor Influencer Impact: Investors should consider whether the new DAT can attract capital beyond the existing crypto-native community.

Digital Asset Trusts (DATs) / Crypto Treasury Stocks

  • This investment theme involves publicly traded companies that hold large amounts of crypto on their balance sheets, similar to MicroStrategy.
  • SBET (Sharpling Gaming): This ETH-focused DAT has initiated a $1.5 billion share buyback program. They are doing this because the stock is trading below its MNAV (Market to Net Asset Value), meaning the market values the company at less than the ETH it holds.
  • Bitmine (led by Tom Lee): This major ETH DAT remains bullish on ETH. It also made a successful $20 million investment in a WorldCoin DAT, which saw massive returns.
  • Market Sentiment: The hosts noted that sentiment around DATs is currently depressed, with many trading below their MNAV. They view this as a cyclical phenomenon, suggesting it could be a buying opportunity before sentiment turns positive again.

Takeaways

  • Buybacks are Bullish: SBET's share buyback is a positive signal for shareholders, as it increases the amount of underlying ETH per share.
  • MNAV as an Indicator: Investors can use the MNAV metric to find potential opportunities. A DAT trading significantly below an MNAV of 1 could be considered undervalued relative to its crypto holdings.
  • Cyclical Opportunity: The current depressed sentiment in the DAT market could represent a favorable entry point for investors who believe in the long-term crypto bull market.

Dogecoin (DOGE)

  • A Dogecoin ETF is launching in the U.S. with the ticker DOJE.
  • The hosts noted the novelty of an ETF for an asset that was created as a joke and is considered to have no fundamental utility.

Takeaways

  • Increased Accessibility: The launch of an ETF makes DOGE more accessible to traditional investors, which could positively impact its price and liquidity.
  • Speculative Asset: Despite the ETF, DOGE remains a highly speculative asset driven primarily by memes and community sentiment rather than utility.

Robinhood (HOOD)

  • The stock for Robinhood (HOOD) has been added to the S&P 500 index.
  • This news caused the stock to jump approximately 15%.
  • Inclusion in the S&P 500 is significant because it forces passive index funds (like those managed by Vanguard) to purchase the stock, creating a persistent source of buying pressure.

Takeaways

  • Bullish Structural Catalyst: Inclusion in the S&P 500 is a strong positive for HOOD stock, providing a stable, long-term demand floor from passive investment flows.
  • Market Validation: This marks a significant milestone for a crypto-adjacent company, signaling its acceptance into mainstream finance.

World Liberty Financial (WFLI)

  • This section served as a cautionary tale about the risks of centralized tokens.
  • Prominent crypto figure Justin Sun had over $100 million of his WFLI tokens frozen by the project's developers.
  • The WFLI token contract contains a "blacklist" function, allowing the team to unilaterally freeze the assets of any wallet address. The price of WFLI pumped after the tokens were frozen, as a major seller was removed from the market.

Takeaways

  • High Centralization Risk: Investors should be extremely cautious with tokens that have admin keys or functions allowing developers to freeze or seize assets.
  • "Not Your Keys, Not Your Crypto" Applies to Tokens: Even on a decentralized blockchain like Ethereum, a poorly designed or malicious token contract can undermine property rights. Always investigate a token's contract before investing.
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Episode Description
In the 2nd Weekly Rollup of Flat-tember, we discuss whether the crypto bull market is over amid rising unemployment and market uncertainty. We cover stablecoin competition for Hyperliquid partnerships, Justin Sun's frozen WFLI tokens, and Nasdaq's tokenized equities. With Ethereum leading in asset tokenization, they also reflect on lost SEC Chair Gensler's texts and the rise of DAOs, alongside major moves from Fidelity and Robinhood. —- 📣SANCTUM | STAKE YOUR SOL https://bankless.cc/Sanctum-report --- Bankless Weekly Rollup: 2nd Week of September, 2025 --- BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🪙FRAX | SELF SUFFICIENT DeFi https://bankless.cc/Frax 🦄UNISWAP | SWAP ON UNICHAIN https://bankless.cc/unichain 🛞MANTLE | MODULAR LAYER 2 NETWORK https://bankless.cc/Mantle 🎩DEGEN | JOIN THE COMMUNITY https://bankless.cc/degen --- TIMESTAMPS & RESOURCES 0:00 Intro 3:42 Markets https://www.reuters.com/business/us-unemployment-rate-near-4-year-high-labor-market-hits-stall-speed-2025-09-05/ https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/UNRATE https://www.reuters.com/business/cooler-us-producer-inflation-hints-softening-demand-2025-09-10/ https://polymarket.com/event/fed-decision-in-september https://thedefireport.io/research/markets-are-nearing-an-inflection-point#global-liquidity https://x.com/EricBalchunas/status/1965381497936117794 https://x.com/SharpLinkGaming/status/1965385468360741042 https://x.com/DefiIgnas/status/1965412886731538686 https://x.com/amitisinvesting/status/1965031182443139242 https://blockworks.co/news/samani-expected-chairman-solana-treasury https://x.com/smyyguy/status/1965054449212342629 https://blockworks.com/analytics/treasury-companies/market-data https://x.com/RyanSAdams/status/1965118547052695588 https://beincrypto.com/fidelity-tokenized-treasury-fund-on-ethereum/ https://x.com/RyanSAdams/status/1965152999963328571 29:30 Justin Son WLFI Frozen https://x.com/molly0xFFF/status/1963684142454894967 https://x.com/QuintenFrancois/status/1963882897909145937 https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/world-liberty-financial https://x.com/jconorgrogan/status/1963665497393975324 https://x.com/0xNonceSense/status/1963654615947514277 https://x.com/worldlibertyfi/status/1964081164408250558 https://x.com/jconorgrogan/status/1963665740109893656 https://x.com/justinsuntron/status/1963807543983263802 https://x.com/ASvanevik/status/1963761428445442341 35:35 Hyperliquid USDH Bidding War https://www.bankless.com/read/hyperliquids-usdh-bidding-war https://x.com/DefiIgnas/status/1965370023377248437 https://polymarket.com/event/who-will-win-the-usdh-ticker-159?tid=1757505856052 https://x.com/0xfoobar/status/1965445696032846173 https://x.com/hosseeb/status/1965520465172328717 42:15 MegaETH Stablecoin https://x.com/megaeth_labs/status/1965082874627199414 47:30 Ronin and Upbeat Join OP Stack L2 https://x.com/Ronin_Network/status/1965220031320793442 https://giwa.io/home https://coinmarketcap.com/rankings/exchanges/ https://x.com/hildobby/status/1965820218854486232 50:56 Robinhood Joins S&P 500 https://x.com/WatcherGuru/status/1964078422050681221 https://www.tradingview.com/chart/1CDu50yK/?symbol=NASDAQ%3AHOOD 52:45 Gary Gensler’s Missing Texts https://x.com/EleanorTerrett/status/1963731865577127980 https://x.com/haydenzadams/status/1964471380403245525 https://x.com/NateGeraci/status/1963780017281765392 https://x.com/lex_node/status/1642242646931300353 56:36 Senate Clarity Act https://x.com/jchervinsky/status/1965465751122592119 58:15 Nasdaq Seeks Tokenized Stocks https://www.coindesk.com/policy/2025/09/08/nasdaq-seeks-nod-from-u-s-sec-to-tokenize-stocks 1:01:15 Robinhood Social https://x.com/RobinhoodApp/status/1965589746937446623 --- Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures
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