## 2026 Outlook for the Second Half — From Macro to Micro: My Judgments and Strategy for the Next Six Months

At the mid-July 2026 checkpoint, it’s necessary to conduct a comprehensive forward-looking review of the second half of the year. In the first half of this year, Bitcoin saw broad-range consolidation between $50k and $70k, while altcoins went through sharp divergence—some projects tied to AI and RWA surged dramatically, while most long-established altcoins performed only so-so. So, where are the opportunities in the second half? And where are the risks? Let me share my personal take.

**Macro level: Rate-cut expectations and liquidity improvement.** The U.S. Federal Reserve will likely cut rates 1–2 times within 2026, with the first rate-cut window possibly coming in September or December. Rate cuts mean increased U.S. dollar liquidity, and capital tends to flow into risk assets—this is a medium-term positive for the crypto market. But it’s worth noting that if inflation data keeps coming in hot, rate cuts could be postponed, which would cause short-term market volatility. So we need to closely track the monthly CPI and non-farm employment data.

**Industry narrative: AI, RWA, and DePIN remain the main lines.** These three tracks attracted a large amount of capital in the first half, and projects are continuing to roll out in practice. For example, in the RWA (tokenization of real-world assets) track, more and more traditional financial institutions are starting to put assets such as government bonds and private equity on-chain—this brings incremental capital to crypto and also creates expectations around compliance. DePIN (decentralized physical infrastructure networks), meanwhile, builds real computing power, storage, and network resources through token incentives, and the business model is already working. I believe that in the second half, high-quality projects in these tracks will continue to be pursued by the market.

**Ethereum ecosystem: Layer 2 and restaking are worth watching.** With the full activation of the Cancun upgrade, Layer 2 fees dropped significantly and transaction volume increased noticeably. In the second half, there may be more DApp migrations to Layer 2, which could lead to a repricing of related tokens (such as ARB and OP). In addition, the restaking track is also worth focusing on—it provides Ethereum with an additional layer of security and creates opportunities for attractive returns.

**Risks and hidden pitfalls: Regulatory black swans and token unlock pressure.** After the U.S. election year, the crypto policy of the new administration is not yet fully clear. In the second half, the SEC and CFTC could see new developments in lawsuits involving certain projects, which may trigger short-term panic. Also, many projects that raised financing in 2024–2025 will face token unlocks in the second half; if the market’s capacity to absorb sell pressure is insufficient, it’s very likely to result in downward pressure from selling. Therefore, when selecting projects, you should definitely look at the project’s token unlock calendar and try to avoid tokens that are about to have large unlock amounts.

## My specific operational strategy:

- **Positioning:** Maintain 50% Bitcoin + Ethereum as the core holding, allocate 30% to leaders in the AI and RWA tracks, and use the remaining 20% as flexible capital for short-term trading or to respond to black swan events.
- **Buying cadence:** Use a staged DCA approach—add to your position once when the market pulls back by 5%–10%, and don’t chase after highs.
- **Take-profit plan:** If Bitcoin breaks the previous high (for example, reaching the $75k–$80k range), I will gradually cut 10%–20% of the position to lock in profits.
- **Risk response:** Set a total account stop-loss line at 15%. Once it’s hit, force-reduce the position to below half and wait for the situation to become clear.

Finally, I want to emphasize: forecasts are forecasts—the market is always right. What we should not do is blindly believe any viewpoint; instead, we should stay flexible and adjust our strategy according to actual market movements. No matter how the second-half market turns out, as long as we do a good job with risk management and keep a learning mindset, we can find opportunities that belong to us amid volatility. Wishing us all good luck! #夏日创作营
$BTC