Crypto analyst Michaël van de Poppe wrote on X on May 11 that altcoins are beginning to break out to the upside, generally lagging Bitcoin’s move by one to three weeks.
If that pattern holds, Van de Poppe says altcoins could see gains of 100–300%, depending on momentum and available liquidity.
Altcoins Are Starting to Move
Van de Poppe has been one of the more closely watched commentators in crypto during this cycle. His view is straightforward: Bitcoin usually moves first, altcoins tend to follow after a short delay, and when they rally their percentage gains are often substantially larger.
“If Bitcoin went up 40% from the lows, altcoins can do 100–300% depending on the momentum and the amount of liquidity in the books. We’re in that stage,” he wrote.
Trader Mark Chadwick offered supporting observations, noting that altcoins are “flashing the strongest signals we’ve seen in years.” He highlighted a breakout from a major falling wedge pattern and described last week’s candles as some of the biggest breakout moves in a long time.
“This is exactly how major alt runs begin,” Chadwick added, saying the setup looks even stronger when considering the broader backdrop: increasing liquidity, the Russell 2000 reaching all-time highs, and the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act of 2025 moving closer to passage.
The Senate Banking Committee is scheduled to meet on May 14 to consider the market structure bill, putting the proposal back on the agenda after previous delays. The White House is also urging Congress to act more quickly. If clearer regulation leads to institutional capital entering crypto, Chadwick argued, “this market could move on an entirely different scale.”
Van de Poppe also shared an update on his personal altcoin portfolio. He has invested a total of $160,000, which at the time of his update was worth about $78,000—roughly 50% below his entry point but improved from a prior decline of 75%.
He plans to add another $40,000 in four monthly tranches through September 1, then stop. He explained that he believes the market has likely bottomed and that his focus now is on compounding returns rather than continuously adding fresh capital.
The Broader Market Is Starting to Cooperate
Van de Poppe’s comments come as crypto markets have shown broader improvement.
Bitcoin was trading near $81,000 at the time of writing, relatively stable over the prior 24 hours with a modest 0.1% gain, according to CoinGecko. The altcoin landscape, however, showed more notable moves, with several mid-cap tokens posting sizable weekend gains.
Some mid-cap projects delivered double-digit moves in short order, while other large-cap tokens showed mixed performance: Ethereum held near $2,300 despite a roughly 2.4% decline over 24 hours, XRP traded near $1.45 after earlier reaching a three-week high around $1.50, and Solana climbed about 11% for the week to trade close to $95.
Overall, the combination of technical breakouts among altcoins, growing liquidity, and potential regulatory clarity has many traders watching closely for a possible extended altcoin run if Bitcoin’s move continues to provide follow-through momentum.