Top Altcoins to Stack Before Altseason: HYPE, ZEC, TAO, PUMP, Venice and NEAR

The crypto market has picked up speed, with Bitcoin rising nearly 6% in 24 hours and Ethereum gaining about 22% over the past week. Hyperliquid also jumped around 16% in a day as several altcoins broke higher. Despite the sharp move, the In The Money analyst said investors are still not too late. His approach is to focus on stronger projects rather than chase random tokens after they pump.

Hyperliquid (HYPE): Strongest Altcoin, But Wait

Hyperliquid remains one of his biggest convictions. He considers it one of the strongest altcoins because of its leading position in perpetual futures trading, growing revenue and token economics.

The latest boost came after President Donald Trump mentioned Hyperliquid and said the CFTC is working on bringing the project to the United States. This current government attention can give crypto projects an extra boost, especially after Trump has previously mentioned other assets.

However, he does not want investors chasing HYPE after its latest surge. The token had fallen to around $51, where he was adding to his position, but has since moved sharply higher. After a roughly 20% daily gain, he would rather wait for a pullback or fresh news before buying.

Zcash (ZEC): His Preferred Trade

Zcash is the coin he is most willing to trade right now. ZEC gained around 16% over the week and was trading near $560.

The analyst expects Zcash could reach $600 in the next few days, particularly if Bitcoin makes another move higher. That would represent around an 8% gain from $560.

He also sees a possible leveraged trade. At 3x leverage, an 8% move could produce roughly a 25% gain, although losses can increase just as quickly.

Bittensor (TAO): Breakout Finally Arrives

Bittensor is another major pick. The analyst had previously identified the $198 area as a buying opportunity. TAO then moved toward $210 after spending about a month around the $190 range.

He expects the breakout to continue toward $225 in the short term and still sees TAO as a good long-term spot accumulation. Its AI focus is another reason he remains positive.

Pump.fun (PUMP): Meme Coin Pick

Pump.fun has also delivered a strong move, gaining around 29% in a week and 87% in a month.

The analyst still sees PUMP as a major meme-coin play and believes investors are not too late. However, after such a sharp monthly rise, he would avoid aggressively chasing leverage. For longer-term investors, he prefers buying through Dollar-Cost Averaging (DCA).

Venice and NEAR: AI Exposure

For AI-related exposure, he mentioned Venice and the NEAR Protocol.

He considers Venice reasonable around $14, noting that it remains about 50% below its previous all-time high. NEAR has moved much more slowly, gaining only around 1% at the time of his analysis. According to him, that slower move was an opportunity for investors who missed the first wave and considered NEAR another reasonable DCA.

Altcoin Money Flow Adds to the Bullish Case

The altcoin market is showing mixed signals. Total crypto market cap is around $2.65 trillion, down 0.89% in 24 hours, while Bitcoin dominance has risen to 59.81%. The Altcoin Season Index is at 39, well below the 75 level needed to confirm a broad altseason. Still, there are signs of growing interest. CryptoQuant data showed around $215 billion flowing into altcoins in three days, while Glassnode found that 85% of altcoins now have funding rates above their average, the highest level since Bitcoin reached record prices. This suggests money is moving into altcoins, but a full altseason has not started yet.