Recently, the gold market has performed strongly, with prices briefly breaking through $4701.30 per ounce and reaching a new all-time high. Looking at the benchmark, gold has increased by 9.04% over the past month, and the annual gain has reached 67.8%, highlighting the market's cautious attitude towards the economic outlook amid the strength of traditional safe-haven assets.

In this market environment, the cryptocurrency sector is also experiencing a new round of reshuffling. According to a 2026 market outlook by a well-known industry institution, the overall performance in 2025 fell short of expectations, and the traditional four-year cycle theory seems to have become invalid. An even more noteworthy phenomenon is that the new capital entering the market is mainly flowing into a few leading coins, while the vast majority of small and medium-cap assets are facing financing difficulties.

So how can this situation be reversed in 2026? Industry experts believe the key lies in whether liquidity can break through the current pattern. On one hand, if ETF product lines continue to expand—for example, by launching investment tools for mainstream coins like SOL and XRP—this will directly open up additional markets; on the other hand, if Bitcoin or Ethereum experience a strong rally, it could trigger a wealth effect. However, the exact amount of funds that will ultimately flow back into the digital asset ecosystem remains unknown. The last possibility is that retail investors shift their focus from traditional stock markets' hot sectors like artificial intelligence and rare earths to the crypto market, which could bring in new funds and stablecoin supply—although the probability of this happening is relatively low.