{"id":4766,"date":"2026-07-16T22:12:57","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T22:12:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.coinsignals.net\/?p=4766"},"modified":"2026-07-16T22:12:57","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T22:12:57","slug":"analyst-says-hype-lit-and-zec-could-outperform-before-bitcoin-finds-its-bottom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.coinsignals.net\/index.php\/2026\/07\/16\/analyst-says-hype-lit-and-zec-could-outperform-before-bitcoin-finds-its-bottom\/","title":{"rendered":"Analyst Says HYPE, LIT, and ZEC Could Outperform Before Bitcoin Finds Its Bottom"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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While much of the crypto market remains focused on predicting Bitcoin\u2019s ultimate bottom, some analysts believe the biggest opportunities may emerge long before a clear market recovery is confirmed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crypto trader Axel Bitblaze argues that investors waiting for broad consensus on a market bottom could miss the strongest early gains, highlighting Hyperliquid (HYPE), Lighter (LIT), and Zcash (ZEC) as projects that are already showing signs of leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

HYPE, LIT, and ZEC Stand Out<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The thesis stems from a July 15 market update by analyst Taiki Maeda, who said he believes the crypto market is in the process of bottoming and identified HYPE, LIT, and ZEC as his preferred long positions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expanding on that view, Bitblaze noted that Hyperliquid has repurchased roughly 3.4% of HYPE\u2019s circulating supply this year, helping the token outperform even as Bitcoin and other major cryptocurrencies struggled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that if Bitcoin experiences another bout of volatility without altering Hyperliquid\u2019s underlying fundamentals, any resulting decline in HYPE could present an attractive accumulation opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lighter\u2019s LIT token was described as a higher risk investment with significant upside potential. Bitblaze pointed to the project\u2019s reported partnership with Robinhood, which could substantially increase exposure for its decentralized perpetual trading platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also noted that buybacks have removed more than 6% of LIT\u2019s circulating supply, contributing to the token reaching an all time high near the end of 2025 while many altcoins were declining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the three assets, Zcash carries the highest level of uncertainty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maeda explained that he previously exited his ZEC position after a vulnerability was discovered in the Orchard shielded pool that could have allowed unlimited counterfeit tokens to be created, contributing to a sharp 60% price decline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, after reassessing the project\u2019s prospects, he rebuilt most of his position ahead of the upcoming Ironwood upgrade, scheduled for July 28. The upgrade is expected to improve quantum resistance and strengthen network security through formal verification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bitblaze believes these improvements could provide a meaningful catalyst for ZEC. He also referenced comments from Zcash founder Zooko Wilcox, who recently said the team is close to mathematically proving that Ironwood\u2019s new shielded pools are free from undetectable counterfeiting flaws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Maeda\u2019s valuation model, ZEC could climb into the $650 to $700 range if its market capitalization returns to roughly 1% of Bitcoin\u2019s, compared with approximately 0.8% today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Early Positioning Could Matter More Than Timing the Bottom<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bitblaze believes the crypto market has remained in a bear phase since the euphoria of mid 2025, when Ethereum was approaching $5,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although many investors expect the cycle to bottom during the fourth quarter of 2026, he argues that markets rarely wait for widespread confirmation before beginning a recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, he expects leading assets to start outperforming between August and September, well before sentiment fully shifts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His advice to investors is simple: avoid waiting for Bitcoin and the broader market to look perfect, because the strongest performers often begin separating from the rest of the market long before the majority realizes the bottom may already be forming.#crypto#cryptonews https:\/\/coinsignals.net<\/a> https:\/\/t.me\/coinsignalpublic<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

While much of the crypto market remains focused on predicting Bitcoin\u2019s ultimate bottom, some analysts believe the biggest opportunities may emerge long before a clear market...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4766","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.coinsignals.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4766","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.coinsignals.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.coinsignals.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.coinsignals.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.coinsignals.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4766"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.coinsignals.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4766\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4768,"href":"https:\/\/blog.coinsignals.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4766\/revisions\/4768"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.coinsignals.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4766"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.coinsignals.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4766"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.coinsignals.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4766"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}