Ethereum (ETH) is back in the spotlight after hitting the $3,400 level for the first time in six months, a rally partly fueled by interest from the likes of billionaire investor Peter Thiel. His recent investment in an ETH treasury-backed company, alongside rising institutional adoption, has revived optimism that the second-largest crypto may finally be on a trajectory toward $10,000.
Analysts are also attributing ETH’s rally to improving on-chain fundamentals and macroeconomic conditions. Meanwhile, early signs of an altseason are emerging as capital starts to rotate from Bitcoin into Ethereum and other altcoins.
Traders are now looking for the next breakout opportunities as the crypto market continues to soar, and we’ll highlight two emerging altcoins that look set for big gains in this bull run.
Institutions Bet Big on Ethereum: Is a Rally to $10,000 Incoming?
While Bitcoin has been the go-to strategic asset for years, institutions are increasingly diversifying into Ethereum. To put things in perspective, the US Spot ETFs of the altcoin have attracted nearly $2.27 billion of net inflows in July alone.
Popular analyst Matt Hougan predicts ETH fund inflows could total $10 billion in the second half of 2025 if current trends continue.
A growing number of companies are also stockpiling ETH, similar to the Bitcoin treasury approach used by firms like Strategy (previously MicroStrategy). Firms that have recently started accumulating significant ETH reserves include Bit Digital, BTCS, and SharpLink Gaming.
But now even tech tycoon Peter Thiel is betting big on Ethereum’s prospects. A recent SEC filing revealed that Thiel’s investment fund acquired a 9.1% stake in BitMine Immersion Technologies, a firm that holds about 163,000 ETH as a treasury asset.
With ETH up nearly 60% since late June and breaking out above a key resistance level, chatter about a potential run toward $10,000 has resurfaced. Arthur Hayes, co-founder of BitMEX, has recently expressed his optimism about reaching a $10,000 target for the top altcoin.
Hayes has also previously pointed to Ethereum’s decreasing exchange supply (due to staking lock-ups) and strong on-chain support levels, which could trigger a quick rally once resistance levels just above $3,500 are cleared.
Notably, ETH has also recently outperformed Bitcoin, with the ETH/BTC pair currently in an uptrend, rising nearly 15% from its low on July 14. Michael van de Poppe highlights this milestone, mentioning that he now expects other altcoins to follow Ethereum’s lead. In fact, the latest uptrend has already seen traders rotating profits into smaller-cap tokens.
After Ethereum, Smart Money is Backing These Crypto Presales for Altseason
Ethereum’s resurgence has set the stage for low-cap tokens to flourish as the altseason moves into full swing. In particular, two upcoming presale projects are now attracting smart money, each for the unique innovations they’re bringing to the table.
Savvy investors are now pouring their money into Snorter Bot Token (SNORT), a meme coin that offers genuine trading utility through its automated bot.
The bot is built on Solana, leveraging its quick and low-cost transactions to guarantee split-second reactions in the chaotic meme coin marketplace. Snorter Bot will operate directly within Telegram, allowing users to snipe trades in under a second whenever a brand-new token is launched.
Its full suite of tools will include real-time monitoring of new token launches, copy trading, and custom sniper parameters, allowing it to automatically buy tokens that meet specific criteria. It even comes equipped with honeypot detection, a crucial feature in today’s market that helps prevent users from falling victim to scam tokens.
The SNORT token presale has raised nearly $2 million, with tokens priced at $0.0983 each in its current stage.
It’s worth noting that SNORT token holders are eligible for lower fees of just 0.85% per trade, compared to 1.5% for non-holders, which makes Snorter Bot the cheapest among competitors. You can also stake your SNORT holdings for an annual yield of up to 200% during the presale phase itself. Visit Snorter Token.
Another project that is turning heads is Bitcoin Hyper (HYPER). Its layer-2 solution aims to address one of Web3’s longest-standing challenges: scaling Bitcoin for fast and affordable transactions and expanding its use to decentralized applications.
The project will combine the security and liquidity of Bitcoin with the performance of Solana’s blockchain technology. Its architecture will use the Solana Virtual Machine (SVM) to create a high-throughput execution layer on top of Bitcoin. Through a non-custodial zero-knowledge bridge, actual BTC will be locked on Bitcoin’s main chain, and a wrapped version will be minted on Hyper’s Layer-2 network.
This could effectively unlock Bitcoin’s use cases in smart contracts and DeFi, and enable microtransactions with affordable fees.
Bitcoin Hyper has recently broken the $3 million raised mark, with its presale continuing to impress investors looking for a high-potential altcoin tied directly to crypto’s biggest asset. Early buyers have a limited window to secure HYPER for $0.0123 before the price increases in the next presale round.
Investors can also stake HYPER for an APY of up to 286% even before the presale ends. Visit Bitcoin Hyper.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not provide financial advice. Cryptocurrencies are highly volatile, and the market can be unpredictable. Always perform thorough research before making any cryptocurrency-related decisions.