Van de Poppe Says Altcoin Bear Market May Be Ending

Crypto analyst Michaël van de Poppe believes the long altcoin downtrend may finally be coming to an end. After months of weakness, several altcoins are now breaking above key technical levels, leading him to become more aggressive with his portfolio.

Van de Poppe says around 98% of his portfolio is currently allocated to altcoins, although he does not plan to hold all of them indefinitely. His strategy is to rotate between different coins, actively trade market waves, take profits during rallies and gradually increase his Bitcoin, Ethereum and cash holdings to reduce risk.

Why He Thinks Altcoins Could Break Out

Van de Poppe argues that Bitcoin has already survived several major market shocks without breaking key support levels. Despite geopolitical tensions, the AI boom, SpaceX-related market moves and other risk events, Bitcoin has remained in a broad range for more than six months.

According to him, bond yields are more important than headlines such as the Strait of Hormuz. If inflation continues to fall and yields decline in the US and Japan, risk appetite could return across markets and trigger a major crypto breakout.

He also argued that investors waiting for Bitcoin to fall toward $40,000 could eventually be forced to buy at much higher levels, as Bitcoin has not made a new low since the February bottom.

His Top Altcoin Picks

Van de Poppe is particularly focused on AVAX, where he recently deployed $3,000. He plans to buy more if AVAX reclaims the $7 level or sweeps its recent low before forming a bullish divergence. He believes Avalanche’s growing real-world asset (RWA) activity makes its current valuation attractive.

Scenario 1 : 

If AVAX:

• Sweeps the recent low.
• Forms a bullish divergence.
• Reclaims support.
• Then he’ll add: $7,000–10,000

Scenario 2: 

• Breaks above the 21 MA (around $7)
• Retests it successfully
• He will also buy: Another $7,000

Meanwhile, NEAR is another major holding. Van de Poppe noted its move from around $1.20 to $3.50, while explaining that he has already sold some during the rally and plans to trade future corrections more actively.

His portfolio also includes Wormhole, which represents around 17% of his holdings, and EigenLayer, with an allocation of approximately 11%. He said he may look to trade EigenLayer more actively.

He also pointed to AAVE as an important market signal. After spending nearly a year below its 21-day and 50-day moving averages, AAVE has finally broken above them, suggesting that altcoins could be entering a new bullish phase.

How He Plans to Trade

Van de Poppe expects altcoins to outperform Bitcoin, especially as Ethereum has already shown strength against BTC. However, he plans to take profits aggressively during strong rallies.

For AVAX, he could reduce exposure around the $8-$9 range after a 40% to 70% move, then buy back during healthy corrections. 

• If RSI moves above 70 and momentum becomes overheated, he plans to reduce his allocation.
• Sell roughly 50% near $9 if momentum continues.
• Rebuy during pullbacks while the uptrend remains intact.

Overall as of now he holds fewer altcoins over time, increases Bitcoin and cash exposure, and actively trades market cycles instead of simply holding through every rise and fall.