Recently, while organizing the cryptocurrency rankings, I noticed new changes in the market landscape and want to share some observations with everyone.

Speaking of virtual currency investment, many people have a question: which type of coin should I buy? Actually, there is a classic logic behind this: "Buy altcoins in a bull market, buy mainstream coins in a bear market." During a bull market, altcoins tend to surge rapidly, offering higher returns, but the risks are also greater; in a bear market, the opposite is true—mainstream coins are more resistant to declines, and altcoins are more likely to go to zero. So, the first step in choosing coins depends on the overall trend of the current market.

I looked at the current cryptocurrency rankings. The top ten by market cap are relatively stable, but the data has indeed changed. Bitcoin remains the leader, but its market share has dropped from over 58% to about 42.93%, with a circulating market cap of approximately $1.57 trillion. Ethereum ranks second, with a market cap of $15.7k and a market share of 7.23%. Ripple, Tether, Binance Coin, Solana, USDC, TRON, Dogecoin, and Cardano are all in the top ten, but their rankings and market caps are dynamically changing.

Why are coins with high market caps worth paying attention to? Because they are often industry leaders and serve as market indicators. However, I should clarify that rankings are not fixed; coins like Filecoin, Luna, and Polkadot, which once made it into the top ten, have been pushed out later because market narratives changed. Many investors bought in pursuit of high returns, but the volatility was too high, increasing risks.

From my own investment experience, Bitcoin’s biggest advantage is scarcity. Its total supply is only 21 million coins, halving every four years. This deflationary mechanism makes it very valuable. Ethereum, on the other hand, is different; its value lies in its rich application scenarios. Its smart contract functionality attracts many developers, with a TVL (Total Value Locked) reaching $93.1 billion, ranking first among all public chains. Solana is called the "Ethereum killer" mainly because of its fast transaction speed and low fees, with a theoretical TPS of 65,000, and actual performance of three to four thousand transactions per second, far surpassing Ethereum.

Regarding cryptocurrencies worth investing in, I am more optimistic about BTC, ETH, XRP, SOL, and DOGE. Ripple is supported by Ripple Labs and has partnerships with global financial institutions and government agencies, with a processing speed of 500-700 TPS, making it especially suitable for institutional use. TAO is a relatively new option, combining AI and blockchain; its underlying Bittensor network aims to build a peer-to-peer machine learning service marketplace, with a design inspired by Bitcoin’s fixed supply of 21 million. Chainlink’s unique feature is connecting blockchain with real-world data; its Oracle network allows smart contracts to securely access off-chain data, providing practical infrastructure attributes.

For trading strategies, I recommend choosing based on the market. Long-term investing is more friendly to beginners—just understand basic operations and the market cap ranking, without needing complex trading systems. Short-term trading might theoretically yield higher returns, but in practice, it’s very difficult to predict accurately and often results in losses. I remember buying three Bitcoin around $5,000 in 2018 and selling at $7,000; later, it surged to $12,000, which I deeply regretted. Fortunately, the 312 event gave me a second chance. The advantage of long-term investing is effectively locking in profits from upward trends.

Regarding how to buy and sell, the most common way is through exchanges—first using C2C to buy stablecoins, then trading for other coins. If you find this troublesome, OTC (over-the-counter) trading is an option, but you must find a trustworthy counterparty, preferably face-to-face.

When choosing coins, another very important point is: don’t be tempted by low prices of altcoins. Many beginners see a coin priced at just a few cents, hold hundreds of millions of them, and think they’ll get rich overnight. But these coins often go to zero or are on the way there. Even worse, swapping high-market-cap coins for a bunch of trash coins can leave you empty-handed on both ends.

In summary, when selecting coins from the cryptocurrency rankings, conservative investors can focus on BTC and ETH. Growth-oriented investors might add DOGE, ADA, SOL, and other mainstream coins. Small altcoins and MEME coins are too volatile and not recommended. Regardless of which coins you choose, the key is to clarify your investment goals, know how to cut losses, and avoid holding onto meme coins long-term, or you’ll just keep losing money paying tuition. Asset security is also crucial—protect your exchange passwords or wallet private keys well, so your hard-earned assets won’t be stolen.