Cryptocurrencies OAX, HOT, and XLM are worth looking into if you’re looking for coins with the best chance to outperform Bitcoin price in Q4 2018.
Small Cap Vs. Low Price Cryptos (A Trader’s Mindset)
The mindset of a cryptocurrency trader in a bull vs. a bear market is vastly different. During the last bull-run, two types of cryptocurrencies had a tendency to ‘pump.’ Ones with very low market caps on big exchanges and those with very low prices.
The coins with low market caps, dedicated teams, with the network to get listed on top exchanges should be acquisition targets heading into the next bull-run vs. the alternative of buying low priced coins.
A very low market cap coin with major unknown quarter four events: OAX, should perform exceptionally well in the short term.
The market sentiment has continued to shift from the summer of 2018 through the beginning of quarter four. With crypto personalities and technical analysis pointing to a December bull-run, the question becomes fairly obvious: How does one take advantage of the shifting of market sentiment and the possible impending moonshot?
The last bull run which concluded 2017 had two main types of cryptocurrencies that saw significant pumps. These two types included very low cost per coin cryptocurrencies regardless of their market capitalization. The other type were coins that had a very low market cap. Coins with a low market cap are the coins which should be targeted vs. the ones that the price seems “cheap” on.
Most individuals who are not accustomed to cryptocurrencies do not realize the importance of market capitalization vs. actual price.
For example: consider 2 cryptocurrencies, one is trading at $0.50 the other at $2.00, the first has a market cap of $100 million, the second has a market cap of $5 million.
Which is the better investment if both are about to have $1 million in demand of the cryptocurrency generated by an announcement?
The answer is the second, with a $5 million market cap and $2.00 price. The reason for this is if $1 million of demand is generated for a cryptocurrency with a $5 million market cap the total market cap will increase to $6 million. This 20% increase in market cap will be reflected by the price increasing by 20%, from $2.00 to $2.40.
The first coin with a market cap of $100 million would now have a market cap of $101 million and the $.50 crypto would have increased to $0.505. If you purchased the cryptocurrency with the lower market cap you would make 20% compared to 2% for the coin with the higher market cap.
With all else equal it is always a better idea to target a lower market cap cryptocurrency vs. one with a ‘lower price.’
OAX has one of the smallest market caps on Binance and is my #1 acquisition target for this reason, along with many others. For those wanting a lower price coin with a significantly higher market cap HOT and XLM are fantastic options.
OAX
OAX [coin_price coin=oax] is one of the lesser known and discussed cryptocurrencies, which is a great reason to begin targeting it before the Twitter personalities and “whales” begin their accumulation. OAX is also listed on the highest volume exchange, Binance, which is notorious for solely listing tier 1 projects.
So what is OAX’s project that impressed Binance enough to list?
I had the pleasure of discussing with the OAX team many aspects about their project during a recent interview. According to Wayland Chan who is the Technology Lead of the OAX Foundation, by the end of 2018 OAX will “deliver a stand-alone DEX using the work done building a scalable layer 2 solution.” This very significant event is not listed on cryptocurrency calendar websites nor is it commonly known in the space.
What is most impressive about OAX’s decentralized exchange (“DEX”) is that they plan to have an “off-chain order book, off chain order execution, as well as no custody of user assets.” OAX could be the scalable solution that DEX’s have sought for years. The OAX project is very ambitious but having secured a Binance listing their legitimacy should not be challenged.
The first prototype of the DEX was delivered in June and since the developer have been finalizing the layer 2 solution using off-chain solutions to solve the performance problems of blockchains.
According to OAX’s Technology Lead,
We’ve made huge strides…and expect to soon announce some big news that will definitely rock the boat.
As much as I pressed I was unable to get an inside glance at what this ‘breakthrough’ was.
This year, OAX was trading as high as $2.28, having dropped to under $0.35 since. With their platform becoming a reality, now is the perfect time to acquire a position. The future of OAX looks very bright. OAX plans to have a layer 2 working prototype by the end of 2018. Their DEX has the potential to revolutionize the exchange community and the scaling difficulties they face.
ICOs were all the craze at the end of 2017, DEXs are becoming the next craze with looming regulations and government crackdowns already underway. With decentralized exchanges becoming the new ‘hot thing’ and the bear market coming to an end, OAX clearly is an acquire and HODL for traders and investors alike.
OAX is one of the few cryptocurrencies that could re-approach their all-time high, once the crypto community awakens to the significance of their project.
HOT
How does HOT (Holochain) [coin_price coin=holo] compete against other cryptocurrencies in the space?
HOT has a lower “price per coin” than OAX but their market cap is almost 20x higher than OAX’s. This means if both HOT and OAX received the same amount of publicity the price of HOT would move 5% while the price of OAX would move 100%.
This is the main reason targeting smaller cap cryptos with platforms on the cusp of development makes for better “moonshot” investments than targeting a crypto with a $100 million-plus market cap.
However, HOT does get a unique award for being the least expensive coin on Binance (even though it has a huge market cap). During a bull run new ‘dumb’ money enters the market and they flock to both the cheapest coin and the ones with the lowest market caps (once they get a bit smarter). HOT qualifies as the “cheapest cryptocurrency on Binance,” and therefore money will likely flow into it the minute the markets start moving North.
Understanding market caps makes those looking to choose between HOT and OAX, pick OAX very easily. However, when choosing an investment, it is important to look beyond the market cap. How is the team? What is the product or platform?
Holochain is distributed hosting, owned and run by the users. The goal of HOT is to facilitate businesses and communities to build the next internet paradigm. Their goals seem to be extravagant but the team is continuously pushing forward with their roadmap.
For those wanting to capitalize on new ‘dumb’ money rushing into the crypto space in the next few months, HOT is not a bad option. OAX will likely to provide much higher returns than the larger market cap coins like HOT, however, diversification should not be overlooked for short-term profits.
XLM
XLM (Stellar Lumens) [coin_price coin=stellar] has been all over the news this week with their announcement of the Blockchain wallet giving away $125 million XLM.
This coupled with their likely imminent addition to Coinbase makes them a short-term speculatively play receiving a lot of attention. With a market cap in the Top 10 cryptocurrencies and a coin value of under $1.00, XLM could post impressive gains.
However, that “moon” that everyone is searching for is unlikely to come from a cryptocurrency with a $1 billion-plus market cap. One can expect reasonable gains following a Coinbase listing but that is truly what all are HODLing for at this point.
Even though XLM is unlikely to post gains associated with coins that have less than a $10 million market cap, they still have plenty of exciting developments occurring.
XLM has partnered with IBM to allow them to use their Stellar network to bring more transparency into their payment structure. Analysts have predicted this partnership could actually replace the current SWIFT/IBAN structure as the global standard. If this partnership results in anything relevant XLM will have moon potential even as a $1 billion-plus market cap cryptocurrency.
Another one of XLM’s unique partnerships is with Veridium and IBM to tokenize carbon credits globally. This is one of many partnerships that will make XLM relevant for the short and long term.
The projects for XLM continue with Stellar X. This is Stellar’s version of a DEX. Also:
- Open Garden is a project that allows users to turn their phone into a hotspot while earning a reward in XLM for data used.
- TillBilly is Stellar’s version of a point of sale system, easing the burden of a paper receipt.
- SmartLands looks to tokenize agricultural lands on the Stellar Network.
- Sure Remit is one of the leading remittance networks in Africa that allows the transfer of funds. They have partnered with Stellar and have branches in Kenya, Rwanda, and many other African countries.
The list of partnerships and use cases for XLM go on and on. XLM is a great long-term HODL when compared to other cryptocurrencies in the Top 10. However, for significant short-term gains, lower market cap cryptocurrencies with major under the radar events are better options.
Cryptocurrencies Ranked By Risk
As new money rushes into the crypto space it will likely end up in 1 of 2 places: very low-cost coins, or very low market cap coins. Regarding percentage return, it is always better to target low market cap coins, not just ‘low cost’ coins.
This is why OAX is a favorite this week with their DEX on the horizon, a 1 on 1 interview, and a Binance listing; this project is well positioned being one of the smallest market cap coins on Binance. With little public awareness regarding their underlying news, OAX could be one of the most significant gainers of quarter four. If OAX ends quarter four with a market cap of $28 million, it will have returned over 200% for those reading this article.
HOT will likely be a target of ‘dumb’ money searching for a cheap coin on the biggest exchanges. Once they learn what a market cap is they will likely switch their position. The HOT project is a great one, but regarding undervalued cryptocurrencies, there are better options.
XLM may be a Top 10 cryptocurrency but with a Coinbase listing seeming imminent and partnerships that compete with Ripple they will likely post positive returns in the short-term. This is important as they are positioned for long-term success as well. Their short-term gains will likely be inferior to those with micro-caps but their guaranteed success long term reduces a great amount of investor risk.
Those seeking the highest risk, highest reward crypto should target OAX. Those wanting a safer play that is likely to still post positive gains, XLM is the choice. For those wanting to chase dumb money entering the market HOT is an okay choice, but OAX will likely still post better returns based on their market cap being 1/20th of the size.
To read the Crypto King’s prior articles or to get in contact directly with him, you can on Twitter (@JbtheCryptoKing) or Reddit. The King is the founder of ANON and actively trades cryptocurrencies.
[Disclaimer: This views expressed in this article belong solely to the author and do not reflect the views of Bitcoinist. They are intended as opinion for educational purposes and should not be taken as financial advice.]
Images courtesy of Shutterstock