Crypto analyst Michaël van de Poppe says the next altcoin cycle is following a familiar script: a June bottom, a deceptive summer bounce toward the 20-EMA, a correction in August, and then a full-blown bull phase that could last into February–March. He said there is a potential of returns of 400%–900% for some altcoins. “Rinse & repeat,” he wrote, adding that “most altcoins are primed to start a leg up.”
The macro picture gives context to that call. Bitcoin (BTC) has been trading near the $110k–$113k range in recent sessions, and analysts are watching support around $109k as a key level; a break beneath it could pressure risk assets, including altcoins.
Ethereum (ETH), a frequent bellwether for altcoin flows, has been trading around the mid-$4k area in the last 48 hours (daily closes near $4.5k–$4.6k). Strength in ETH often precedes altcoin leadership because it reduces BTC dominance in the market and frees up liquidity to rotate into smaller tokens.
The total crypto market cap sits near the ~$4 trillion mark, with Bitcoin dominance hovering in the mid-50s, a backdrop consistent with an early-to-mid cycle regime where Bitcoin still leads but altcoin participation is increasing.
Van de Poppe’s mention of the 20-EMA (20-period exponential moving average) points to a technical pattern some traders watch: an initial relief rally that reclaims short-term trend lines and entices traders to load up, only for a later correction to shake out weak hands.
What this Means for Traders
If history is any guide, that shakeout can precede a stronger, more sustainable leg up, the period when big gains happen for selected altcoins. That’s the play he’s describing. On-chain and macro signals are mixed. Some on-chain metrics point to selling pressure near recent BTC resistance levels.
This could cap risk appetite in the short term, while altcoin daily performances show pockets of rotation (Ethereum, Solana (SOL) and selected Layer-1/AI-focused tokens among notable movers). Traders will be watching liquidity, ETH/BTC strength and total altcoin market cap to confirm whether the next leg is underway.
Michaël van de Poppe’s “rinse & repeat” roadmap is a succinct version of a cycle many traders implicitly expect: bottoming, a deceptive summer pump, a shakeout, then the main event. The market’s immediate job is to confirm the pattern through Bitcoin and Ethereum price behavior.
Confirmation is also needed from altcoin market cap expansion and the classic technicals van de Poppe referenced (20-EMA reactions and August correction). If those align, the next several months could bring the sort of explosive gains altcoin bulls are hoping for, but as always, volatility and drawdowns will be part of the ride.
