#Arc生态及Meme币普跌 #Gate广场中秋团圆局

Arc Ecosystem and Memes Plunge Across the Board: How Will They Perform After the Frenzy?

This is a classic “launching at the peak” script

Arc is Circle’s (the USDC issuer) stablecoin Layer 1. Its mainnet launched on September 16, and the founding validator list included BlackRock, Visa, and Mastercard. Trading exceeded 1 million transactions on the first day, while Memes exploded across the board: ARGUS peaked at a $35 million market cap, TOLLY rose 2,515% on its first day to $25 million, LONG reached $17 million, COOL $7.9 million, and ARCAT $5 million. Then came September 17—and a broad-based plunge.
This was not unexpected; it was a pattern. The frenzy around Memes on a new chain on its first day, followed by profit-taking the next day, is a path that Solana, Robinhood Chain, and Base have all taken: 100x tokens on day one, with 90% going to zero a week later.

Why the broad-based plunge? Three factors are piling up

First layer (macro): The FOMC rate hike and the CLARITY fallout. On September 16 US Eastern Time, the Fed’s rate hike took effect, BTC fell to its lowest level since June, and nearly 120,000 people were liquidated. Memes are the most risk-sensitive segment, so they fall the hardest when the broader market collapses.
Second layer (micro): Paying back the first-day FOMO. Most holders of first-day tokens such as ARGUS and TOLLY acquired them at extremely low costs, making the next day a game of “who can run fastest.” The huge gains themselves accumulated massive profit-taking pressure, making the broad-based plunge an inevitable result of the token distribution.
Third layer (structural): The broader Meme cycle was already losing momentum. Memes on Robinhood Chain are undergoing a correction, as are Gate-related Memes. Arc is merely a new countertrend hotspot amid the broader downturn—hotspots can temporarily attract capital, but they cannot reverse the larger trend.

Later performance: Look at them separately, and don’t lump them together

Arc itself (bullish in the medium term, but the focus is not Memes): Arc has genuine institutional backing—stablecoin infrastructure, BlackRock/Visa/Mastercard validators, and $222 million in funding before launch—positioning it as enterprise-grade financial infrastructure. Its long-term value will depend on stablecoin applications, DeFi TVL, and institutional adoption, not Memes. If real applications launch later, Arc, as “Circle’s favorite child,” is worth tracking; if not, it will become yet another public chain that “peaked at launch.”
Memecoins on Arc (short-term rebounds are exit points, not opportunities): Unless ARGUS, TOLLY, COOL, ARCAT, and the other first-day stars develop an ongoing narrative—such as continued interaction from USDC’s official account or listings on leading CEXs—they will most likely follow the path of “down 90% → rebound 30% → fall again.” Any rebound is a window to reduce positions, not a reason to add.
One signal worth noting: Circle co-founder Jeremy Allaire responded to FOMO and other Meme platforms, which the market interpreted as an open attitude toward Memes—if Circle continues to “pamper” Memes officially, leading tokens may survive for a few more days, but this is a matter of probability, not logic.
The overall Meme sector (under medium-term pressure): After the rate hike takes effect, if BTC holds $75,000, Memes may see an oversold rebound (a drop that fast must bounce); but amid a regulatory vacuum and high interest rates, Memes’ “pure emotional premium” will continue to shrink. The sector as a whole is in the middle of a downturn, not at the start of a new cycle.

Conclusion and strategy

Arc is worth tracking for institutional adoption, while Arc’s Memes are not worth bottom-fishing—watch for a rebound and exit. The overall Meme sector is in a downturn. Don’t mistake a “new chain” for a “new bull market”—the excitement on Arc’s first day was essentially a replay of the Robinhood Chain script, and Robinhood Chain’s Memes are still trapping buyers halfway down the mountain.$ARC