Crypto Blue Chips Will Win in 2026, Says CoinEx Analyst
The typical altcoin rally may slow down next year, with only “blue chip” cryptocurrencies seeing the lion's share, said Jeff Ko, chief analyst at CoinEx Research.
“Retail investors expecting a rising tide to lift all boats will be disappointed,” Ko told Cointelegraph. “We read no traditional Alsace; instead, liquidity becomes ruthlessly selective, with real adoption only going to blue-chip survivors.”
Ko predicted a “moderate global liquidity tailwind in 2026,” frustrated by various central bank policies, but added that Bitcoin's historical sensitivity to M2 money supply growth “has become less correlated since the 2024 ETF launch.”
He added that the company's “fundamental issue Bitcoin is targeting $180,000 by 2026.”
However, not all analysts agree, with veteran analyst Peter Brandt predicting another long and drawn-out bear market.
In 2029, Bitcoin will reach its next peak
The veteran futures trader said on Tuesday that in 15 years, bitcoin has experienced five parabolic growths on a logarithmic scale, followed by at least an 80% decline, but the current cycle is far from over.
However, when asked about the bottom of this cycle, he assessed that “the next bull market peak will occur in September 2029.
The prediction fits perfectly with the theory of a four-year cycle and with the peak coming one year after the half event, which is around April 2028. However, as seen in previous cycles, an 80% decline could bring BTC back to $25,000 before the crash.
Is the four-year cycle dead?
Historically, the fourth quarter of the year is usually one of Bitcoin's strongest periods. Eight of the past 12 quarters have seen Bitcoin's biggest quarterly profit, and only one of them was a single-digit profit, according to Coinglass.
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However, Bitcoin is down more than 22% over the current quarter, making it the second-worst fourth quarter in history so far.
“This often means that the market has lost a lot of excess risk and poor positioning,” macro investment firm Milk Way said on Monday.
“So for 2026, it doesn't automatically guarantee an upside, but historically, cycles that end with a hard reset have better conditions to build momentum.”
Bitcoin (BTC) is currently trading around $88,000, down 30% from its peak in October.
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