The crypto bull run is in full swing, and investors and market analysts are on red alert as altcoins register double-digit gains.

Crypto analyst VirtualBacon has shared a thread showing the altcoins he has on his watchlist, and the following are his top picks: PEPE, SOL, ETH, and XRP.

China was the only country among the 180 nations that was subject to “reciprocal“ U.S. tariffs, and this brought turbulence to the market. The past weekend saw U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer address the media after trade talks with China in Geneva, Switzerland. With that, markets eased back, and Bitcoin (BTC) now looks established above the $100,000 level of support, trading at $104,032.

Crypto analyst VirtualBacon weighed in, sharing his altcoin investments and observations. “What this early stage of the bull market tells us about what‘s coming next,” he began.

Here are the altcoins VirtualBacon is watching

Bitcoin is holding steady around its 50-week simple moving average (SMA), a level that VirtualBacon calls “the most important signal in the current cycle.” His approach is pretty straightforward: as long as BTC stays above the 50W SMA, the bull market remains intact. But if it closes below? Time to reassess.

Ethereum (ETH), the second-largest crypto by market cap of $317 billion, is currently trading at $2,627. It’s bumping up against resistance in the 0.382–0.5 Fibonacci retracement zone, a key area to watch. VirtualBacon sees long-term upside here, calling it a strong buy. That said, for short-term traders, he advises waiting for a better entry around the $2,100 level if a pullback happens.

Solana (SOL) is flirting with the $200 level, currently sitting at $181. VirtualBacon still sees value but prefers a re-entry zone around $140–$150. He’s also noticing what he calls “monopoly fatigue” setting in. That’s led him to keep an eye on newer projects like BORG, which operates on both Ethereum and Solana, and SAROS, the native token of the Saros ecosystem.

Ripple (XRP) is benefiting from renewed optimism after resolving its long-standing SEC lawsuit and the upcoming launch of XRP futures by CME Group. Still, Bacon remains cautious: “XRP is ranging ($0.50–$0.60) and underperforming. If you want retail L1 exposure, I prefer ALGO – strong tokenomics, low price, good liquidity. IOTA – recently pivoted to a Move-based L1 with a new mainnet launch.”

In the AI sector, VirtualBacon’s flagship play is TAO, which he calls “the Bitcoin of AI crypto.” It’s already among the top 30 coins and has doubled from its lows, now rolling out subnets and tokens after the Dynamic TAO upgrade. With AI narratives gaining momentum, TAO is a core hold for this cycle.

In meme coin space, he‘s keeping an eye on two performers: PEPE, the frog token that has leaped 58.1% in the last 14 days, to a $5.86 billion market cap, and PENGU.

VirtualBacon states that among the most significant macro developments to hit market sentiment is U.S.-China tariff negotiations. The bilateral tariff rate, previously 34%, has been cut to 10% for at least three months. The U.S. is now charging a 30% tariff, 20% of which is intended to target illegal fentanyl trade, while China has lowered its rate to 10%.

But he points to another signal, “More importantly, the Global Liquidity Index just made its first higher high since 2021. That‘s big.” The shift has already sparked action on all fronts: Bitcoin dominance is weakening, ETH/BTC is recovering, and risk assets are reacting positively. At present, the CMC100 Index is 1.04% higher at $207.16, and the Fear & Greed Index is “Greed“ at 74, with a largely bullish sentiment prevailing in the market.

 

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Filed under: Bitcoin - @ May 15, 2025 6:08 pm