A closely followed crypto analyst says that smart contract platform Solana (SOL) is potentially forming a bullish technical pattern that could see it surge by over 1,700%.

In a new strategy session, crypto trader Ali Martinez tells his 108,000 followers on the social media platform X that it’s possible the Ethereum (ETH) rival is forming a cup-and-handle pattern that could push it to astronomical levels.

“There’s a chance SOL is forming a cup-and-handle pattern, and it will reach $4,000!”

A cup and handle is typically observed when the price movement of an asset forms a “cup” pattern before printing a smaller “handle” structure which suggests consolidation prior to a potential breakout.

Solana is trading for $215 at time of writing, a 1.3% decrease during the last 24 hours. If Solana were to reach Martinez’s target price, it would represent a staggering 1,760% increase.

Moving on to the flagship digital asset Bitcoin (BTC), Martinez notes that Coinbase’s Premium Index – which tracks the price premium for BTC on Coinbase and therefore its demand in the US by proxy – suggests that institutional demand for the top crypto asset by market cap is ramping up in America.

“The Coinbase Premium Index recently hit -0.23%, a two-year low, but it’s now rebounding quickly. This signals growing institutional demand for BTC from US-based investors!”

Bitcoin is trading for $98,137 at time of writing, a marginal decrease on the day.

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Disclaimer: Opinions expressed at The Daily Hodl are not investment advice. Investors should do their due diligence before making any high-risk investments in Bitcoin, cryptocurrency or digital assets. Please be advised that your transfers and trades are at your own risk, and any losses you may incur are your responsibility. The Daily Hodl does not recommend the buying or selling of any cryptocurrencies or digital assets, nor is The Daily Hodl an investment advisor. Please note that The Daily Hodl participates in affiliate marketing.

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Digital asset investment manager Bitwise is unveiling its predictions for cryptocurrencies and the industry in 2025.

Starting with Solana (SOL), Bitwise’s head of research Ryan Rasmussen says the asset manager is predicting that the Ethereum (ETH) rival will skyrocket by 250% and hit a price of $750 this year.

Solana is trading at $214 at time of writing, around 18% below the all-time high price of $263 reached in November of 2024.

On Bitcoin (BTC), Bitwise predicts that the crypto king will surge by 106% from the current level to reach a price of $200,000 in 2025. Ethereum, according to Bitwise, will rally by around 99% from the current level to hit a price of $7,000 this year.

Bitcoin is trading at $96,940 at time of writing while Ethereum is worth $3,521.

Turning to US spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs), Rasmussen says Bitwise expects the inflows in 2025 to surpass last year’s figures. The cumulative total net inflows into the US spot Bitcoin ETFs as of January 3rd amounted to approximately $35.66 billion.

Rasmussen also says that Bitwise is predicting that the number of countries holding Bitcoin in their reserves will double in 2025. Some of the countries that currently hold Bitcoin reserves include El Salvador. The Central American country holds over $588.95 million in Bitcoin as of January 3rd.

The Bitwise head of research also cites the crypto asset manager’s bonus prediction that is projected to materialize further into the future.

“In 2029, Bitcoin will overtake the $18 trillion gold market and trade above $1 million.”

Bitcoin has a market cap of approximately $1.917 trillion at time of writing.

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Disclaimer: Opinions expressed at The Daily Hodl are not investment advice. Investors should do their due diligence before making any high-risk investments in Bitcoin, cryptocurrency or digital assets. Please be advised that your transfers and trades are at your own risk, and any losses you may incur are your responsibility. The Daily Hodl does not recommend the buying or selling of any cryptocurrencies or digital assets, nor is The Daily Hodl an investment advisor. Please note that The Daily Hodl participates in affiliate marketing.

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Crypto prices are experiencing a rocky Monday due to poor U.S. macroeconomic data and rampant profit-taking.

Bitcoin (BTC) has dropped 1.8% in the past 24 hours to $91,800, a price not seen since Dec. 5, the day it broke through $100,000 for the first time. The largest cryptocurrency has fallen more than 14% from its Dec. 17 record of $108,278.

Ether (ETH) has lost less, falling 0.7% to $3,320, though it’s now 17% below its December highs, and still has not surpassed the record $4,820 it hit in 2021. Solana (SOL) is also proving a little stronger than bitcoin, with the SOL/BTC ratio up 0.35% today.

The CoinDesk 20 — an index of the top 20 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins, memecoins and exchange coins — is also in the red, sliding 3.74%. Ripple (XRP) and Stellar (XRM) have taken the biggest hits, down 6% and 6.3% respectively, while the most resilient coin besides ether has been litecoin (LTC), which is 1.9% lower.

Stocks of crypto-related companies also took a hit. MicroStrategy (MSTR) and Coinbase (COIN) fell 7% and 5.3%, respectively and major bitcoin mining firms like MARA Holdings (MARA) and Riot Platforms (RIOT) have dropped more than 7%.

The selling pressure is partially caused by investors cashing out after bitcoin shot up more than 117% this year. Profit-taking currently exceeds $1.2 billion on a seven-day moving average, and while that is significantly less than the Dec. 11 peak of $4.0 billion, it’s still much more than usual. Additionally, the lion’s share of profits is being taken by investors who have held bitcoin for many years.

Macroeconomics are also weighing on the market, with the U.S. Chicago PMI — which measures the performance of the manufacturing and non-manufacturing sector in the Chicago area — flashing its lowest reading since May, suggesting an economic slowdown is underway.

Uncertainty around the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate policy going into 2025 isn’t helping, since the U.S. central bank has signaled it will pause rate cuts until at least March. The inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, slated for Jan. 20, may also be playing a role. The S&P 500, Nasdaq, and Dow Jones are down more than 1%.

“The market exceeded expectations in 2024, but signs of exhaustion signaled the need for consolidation,” Joe Carlasare, partner at Amundsen Davis, told CoinDesk. “Looking ahead to 2025, I’m optimistic but expect the path to diverge from consensus, as markets often do. Bitcoin’s adoption continues to grow, and I anticipate it will generally move in line with traditional markets. If the U.S. avoids a significant growth slowdown, bitcoin should perform well, though the ride may be bumpier than in 2024.”