On December 21st, trader Captain Faibik, known for previously calling a major Bitcoin price drop, argued that the recent crypto correction has ended and a new bull phase is approaching, with BTC potentially reaching $120,000. Analysts are also tracking altcoin strength via the Total 3 market cap and highlighting Ethereum, Solana, Chainlink, Ethena and Bitcoin Hyper as standout opportunities based on on-chain data, technical setups and institutional interest. Whale accumulation, ETF inflows and a $30 million Bitcoin Hyper presale are among the key metrics underpinning these bullish outlooks.

Meme coins have lagged the broader market recently, with sector-wide losses while Bitcoin holds firmer, pushing traders to look at presale opportunities. Three highlighted projects are Bitcoin Hyper, PEPENODE, and Maxi Doge, which combine meme appeal with specific utility such as a Bitcoin Layer 2, virtual mining, and trading competitions. Their presales have already raised millions of dollars and offer high advertised staking yields, aiming at investors positioning for potential 2026 gains.

As the year closes, PEPENODE promotes a mine-to-earn model that gamifies rewards without hardware and emphasizes staking and gameplay. Its presale highlights a deflationary mechanism that burns tokens used in upgrades and transactions, targeting meme coin and GameFi audiences through a virtual mining dashboard and node progression. The project's flow centers on user engagement via leveling, rewards, and leaderboards.

According to the publication, crypto markets are rebounding, with Bitcoin at $88,000 and Ethereum nearing $3,000. Meme coins led by Pepe, Fartcoin and Pippin are showing strength, while Dogecoin gained 2.5% in 24 hours, reclaimed $0.13, and is watching the $0.15 resistance. The article also flags Pepenode and Maxi Doge presales.

Bitcoin Hyper (HYPER) positions itself as a Bitcoin Layer 2 integrating Solana's SVM to deliver faster, lower-fee transactions and smart-contract support. According to CryptoDnes, its presale has raised more than $29.6 million, with the token priced at $0.013445 for two more days before the next stage, and the protocol is expected to launch in 2026.

November NFP showed 64,000 jobs added, while unemployment climbed to 4.6%, the highest since September 2021. The series also recorded 105,000 losses in October and a 33,000 downward revision for August–September. On December 16, Joseph Wang and Anna Wong noted labor softness and disinflation that could give the Fed scope to cut rates.

Dogecoin has lagged the broader crypto market in the current bull cycle, recording the weakest year-to-date performance among the top 10 coins while several smaller meme tokens have rallied. Analysts highlight five alternatives—Fartcoin, Pepe, Pippin, Maxi Doge, and Pepenode—which feature low to mid caps, high trading volumes or presale inflows, and in some cases staking rewards or on-chain activity that could support stronger upside into 2026. These projects span Solana- and Ethereum-based ecosystems and are being accumulated by so-called smart money investors looking for higher risk-reward opportunities.

As 2026 approaches, this overview highlights Liquidchain, Zcash, and Bittensor as projects with notable technical and market developments. Liquidchain's Layer-3 design and a presale price of $0.01255 stand out, while Zcash faces mid-December ETF uncertainty alongside protocol upgrades. Bittensor completed its first halving, reducing daily issuance from 7,200 to 3,600 TAO amid rising institutional participation.

PEPENODE’s presale has entered its final 24 days, with the project raising over $2.3 million and pricing the token at $0.0011968. The Mine-to-Earn meme coin pairs a gamified mining system with staking yields of up to 554%, and more than 1.4 billion tokens are already staked.