Hougan said crypto may be bottoming as Bitcoin outperformed the Nasdaq 100 since July 1, with positive ETF flows and improving sentiment supporting a bull-market theme around onchain finance and traditional firms.
Bitwise chief investment officer Matt Hougan said the crypto market may be bottoming, citing Bitcoin rising 9% since July 1 while the Nasdaq 100 fell 6%, along with positive ETF flows and improving sentiment. He said the next cryptocurrency bull run is likely to be driven by the convergence of onchain and traditional finance, led by stablecoins, tokenization, round-the-clock trading, instant settlement and institutional DeFi. Hougan highlighted two areas he sees as best positioned: crypto applications that generate real revenue and tie token value to platform usage, and established companies deploying blockchain infrastructure at scale. He pointed to Hyperliquid as a model in the first group and Robinhood as the clearest example in the second, while also naming Coinbase, Figure, BlackRock, Visa, Stripe and JPMorgan as companies with real or potential exposure. He added that he remains bullish on Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana as the broader foundation for any rally.