Michaël van de Poppe, founder of MN Fund, took a swipe at the consensus view that Bitcoin will bottom below $45,000 this October, arguing that what everyone expects rarely happens. With Bitcoin trading at $65,683 — a nearly 3% gain following Donald Trump's US-Iran peace deal — van de Poppe instead staked out a bet on a handful of altcoins he says could lead the next move higher.
The flippant call on a $45K bottom
Van de Poppe didn't hold back. He mocked the widely anticipated October low, suggesting the market's collective wisdom tends to invert itself before the real move. It's a classic contrarian jab, but one rooted in a basic pattern: when everyone leans the same way, the crowd often gets it wrong. Analysts read his comments as short-term bearish on Bitcoin — they see capitulation risk — but constructive on the altcoins he's picked out.
Five altcoins to watch
Van de Poppe listed his top five anchor altcoins: NEAR, TAO, EIGEN, W, and ONDO. He said these have shown relative outperformance and should hold up well if Bitcoin stabilizes or starts to recover. The picks cut across infrastructure layers — AI tokens, modular protocols, real-world assets — and line up with themes that have drawn capital during past Bitcoin weakness.
History of the rotation play
Periods of Bitcoin price slumps have often led to strong altcoin rotations. Money flows out of BTC and into smaller names that promise higher beta. If Bitcoin holds around current levels or grinds higher, van de Poppe's basket could get a tailwind. But the timing isn't perfect: the peace deal rally juiced Bitcoin, but it didn't yet spark a broad alt season.
The immediate test is whether Bitcoin can hold its post-deal gains above $65K. If it drifts back down, van de Poppe's altcoins will face headwinds. If it steadies, NEAR, TAO, EIGEN, W, and ONDO become the names to watch in the next leg. Van de Poppe is betting on the latter — and betting against the consensus bottom call.
