Options traders have invested $640 million betting that Bitcoin will reach $120,000 by Dec. 27, but analysts say the chances of such a move are slim.
According to research firm Kaiko, investors can instead focus on altcoins like XRP and Solana, which are poised to be real winners in the current market.
“While the chances of BTC gaining another $15,000 in the next 10 days are slim, that doesn’t mean there won’t be gains in other assets,” Kaiko analysts wrote in a note today.
Smaller cryptocurrencies like Solana, XRP, and Cardano have significantly outperformed Bitcoin and Ethereum this year, with their momentum accelerating further following Donald Trump’s election victory, Kaiko noted.
“All of these entities are poised to be big winners amid the changing regulatory landscape in the U.S.,” analysts wrote, pointing to SEC Chairman Gary Gensler’s expected departure on Jan. 20. Gensler, who led the agency’s aggressive crackdown on the crypto industry, has long been criticized by the crypto community and is now eagerly counting down to his own departure.
Arthur Azizov, CEO of crypto payment provider B2BINPay, believes XRP has more room to grow. “It will potentially trade between $5 and $7 in the first half of 2025,” he told The Verge. Azizov also expects XRP to surpass its all-time high of $3.4 before the end of the year.
Solana has fallen more than 15% since peaking at $263 in late November. Despite the decline, Solana is up 33% since the election. Analysts remain bullish on its long-term performance.
Standard Chartered predicts that Solana could climb to around $700 by the end of 2025. Echoing this bullish sentiment, Philippe Bekhazi, CEO and co-founder of crypto trading firm XBTO, said: “SOL could then even surpass Ethereum in terms of total value.”
Despite the focus on altcoins, analysts still predict significant growth for Bitcoin and Ethereum in the coming year. Standard Chartered predicts that Bitcoin could rise to $200,000 by 2025, while Ethereum could reach $10,000.
Meanwhile, 10x Research expects Bitcoin to climb to $120,000 by the time Trump takes office.
*This is not investment advice.
