The Merlion Baller

By MERLION$ | Merlion Finance

Ah yes… the question haunting every degen and bagholder since September:

“Bro, where the hell is the altcoin bull run?”

You open your app, check your portfolio – and it’s still flatter than your kopi kosong. Bitcoin is cruising like a boss at $90K+, Ethereum chilling around $3K+, and yet your favourite altcoins? Still stuck in the kopi queue at Tekka.

Let’s break it down – what’s really going on, and when (or if) that sweet altcoin szn is coming.

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🧊 1. Bitcoin’s Still in the Spotlight — and That’s Normal

Every bull cycle starts with Big Daddy BTC.
This time, it’s no different. Institutions are pouring in via ETFs, family offices finally figured out how to spell “crypto,” and every trad finance uncle suddenly talks about “digital gold” like it’s his idea.

👉 Historically, altcoins only start to fly after Bitcoin cools off – usually when:

• BTC dominance hits the ceiling (around 55–60%),
• retail starts feeling FOMO but finds BTC “too expensive,”
• and liquidity rotates to alts.

So yeah, chill lah – the main show always starts slow.

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🪙 2. Ethereum’s Quiet Power Move

While Bitcoin hogs headlines, Ethereum’s been quietly tightening its screws — Layer 2s like Base, Arbitrum, and Optimism are buzzing.
Gas fees? Way more reasonable.
Developers? Still building.

And let’s not forget the upcoming Verkle Trees upgrade (Ethereum’s next-gen efficiency flex). It’s setting the stage for a leaner, faster, and cheaper chain.

That’s why you’ll see smart money quietly parking into ETH-related plays – L2 tokens, yield protocols, restaking infra, and new zk-based projects.

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🚀 3. Altcoin Rotation Coming — But Selective AF

Forget 2021-style madness where every dog coin went 100x because Elon sneezed.
The 2026 altcoin run (if it happens) will be smart, selective, and brutal.

Projects with real users, real revenue, and real dev activity will pump.
Everything else – rug, ghost town, or exit liquidity.

Here’s where the heat’s likely to come from:

• AI + Crypto hybrids: Tokens tied to compute, inference, or decentralized GPU networks.
• Gaming & SocialFi: The next wave of “play-to-earn” might actually be fun this time.
• Base & Solana ecosystem plays: Fast, cheap, and backed by whales.
• Restaking / Liquid staking derivatives: Still early.

If your coin doesn’t fit into any of those? Might be time to face reality, my fren.

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📉 4. Why Alts Still Stuck Right Now

Short answer? Liquidity.

Big money’s chilling in BTC and ETH because they’re liquid, regulated, and safe for now.
Retail hasn’t fully returned — the crowd that used to FOMO on PancakeSwap is still paying off 2022 credit card debt.

On-chain activity is rising, but the speculative energy is still muted.
We’ll need:

• BTC to range sideways for a while,
• TradFi inflows to slow,
• and some meme-driven hype to light the fuse again.

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💡 5. What You Should Do (If You Still Believe in Alt Season)

Here’s the truth – timing the market perfectly is impossible. But positioning smartly is not.

• Don’t overexpose. Keep some cash or stables handy – for buying dips and surviving mental breakdowns.
• Accumulate fundamentally strong projects quietly. Not the loudest shill on X, but the ones building through the winter.
• Diversify across sectors. Maybe 40% in blue chips (BTC/ETH), 30% in strong L2 or infra plays, and 30% in higher-risk bets.
• Have conviction, but not delusion. Your “next 100x” probably won’t make it unless there’s real adoption.

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🦁 Final Thoughts

Crypto in Q4 2025 isn’t dead – it’s simmering.
This is the boring stage before the madness.
The real ones build, accumulate, and prepare quietly while the tourists leave.

When the liquidity rotation hits… and it will, eventually – you’ll want to be holding something worth holding.

“Altcoin season doesn’t announce itself — it arrives when you’ve almost given up.”

Stay strong, stay rational, and as always –
🦁 Stay ballin’.

– MERLION$ | MerlionFinance.com