On December 28, meme coin valuations are showing notable strength while Bitcoin and Ethereum remain below clear breakout levels. Dogecoin is approaching a key resistance zone, while lower-cap tokens such as Maxi Doge, MemeCore, Bitcoin Hyper and Pepenode are attracting attention for their utility features, staking rewards and presale momentum. Some of these projects are being framed as potential high-upside plays, with reported fundraising figures in the tens of millions of dollars.

Meme coins are ending the year with renewed upside momentum, with Fartcoin, Bullish Degen, Bitcoin Hyper, Pepenode and Maxi Doge highlighted as key tokens with high-risk, high-reward potential. After a broad market pullback that left many meme assets 80%–90% below their peaks, some traders have recorded rapid gains running into tens of thousands of dollars on newer names like LAUNCHR, SNOWBALL and BEPE. The five featured projects range from established Solana meme plays to presale tokens with multi-chain support and mine-to-earn mechanics, with some analysts suggesting possible 10x–100x returns if market conditions improve in 2026.

According to Glassnode, Bitcoin whales holding between 100 and 1,000 BTC have bought roughly $23.5 billion of the asset over a few weeks, marking the strongest accumulation trend since 2012. An anonymous analyst known as the 4chan OG now projects Bitcoin could reach $250,000 in 2026 and has highlighted Ethereum, Solana, $BULLISH, Ethena, World Liberty Financial, Virtuals Protocol, Bitcoin Hyper and Pepenode as top tokens for the next cycle. The report also cites on-chain activity, institutional interest and specific price structures as reasons some traders expect these assets to outperform Bitcoin next year.

According to the publication, crypto markets ended the Christmas week with a modest rebound and tight ranges, prompting a focus on select altcoins. Bitcoin Hyper (HYPER) has raised over $29.7 million in its presale with a 39% staking APY, while PEPENODE reports roughly $2.4 million raised and up to 544% APY. Monero (XMR) is up about 11.6% month over month.

In August 2025, the SEC announced a joint stipulation related to Ripple's case, which the summary frames as key context for XRP. For December 2026, ChatGPT outlines price zones: Bitcoin at a $150,000 base case with $190,000–$220,000 upside, XRP at $4.50 with $8–$12 in a bull case, and PEPENODE at 10x–25x from a $0.012112 baseline. The outlook references a 2025 spot ETF inflow estimate of $22.1 billion.

As the year approaches its close, Bitcoin is consolidating and retaining a dominant share of overall crypto market value while many smaller tokens lag in attention. In this environment, three sub-$1 projects are drawing interest: Bitcoin Hyper with a presale above $29.7 million and 39% APY staking, Maxi Doge with over $4.3 million raised and a 72% APY offer, and Midnight’s NIGHT token trading below $0.10. These altcoins position themselves around Bitcoin Layer 2 DeFi access, trader-focused meme coin utilities, and Cardano-linked privacy infrastructure heading into 2026.

CryptoDnes reports that Bitcoin Hyper's presale has raised $29.7 million and is about $300,000 from the $30 million threshold in December 2025. The token is priced at $0.013475, with a stated 39% APY and over 1.3 billion HYPER committed to staking. Purchases are available via the project's official site and the Best Wallet app.

On Wednesday, the S&P 500 set a new high at 6,920, adding $18 trillion in value since the April 2025 bottom. Gold and Silver also reached records, while Bitcoin trades around $88,000 amid calls it could reach $150,000 in 2026. Some analysts discuss potential rotation from stocks and metals into major crypto assets.

Bitcoin finished 2025 as the market’s main liquidity anchor but entered a pronounced post-peak cooldown after briefly trading above $126,000 before sliding into the mid-$80,000s. Several institutional forecasts still see scope for BTC to reach six figures in Q1 2026, with targets between roughly $120,000 and $150,000 as ETF demand and regulatory clarity potentially improve. In parallel, the Bitcoin Hyper Layer 2 project has raised about $29.7 million at a token price of $0.013475 and offers 39% staking APY, attracting traders seeking higher-upside exposure to the broader Bitcoin narrative.