7 cryptocurrencies you should include in your portfolio ahead of the bull market

Introduction

Recently, the cryptocurrency market has been the subject of heated debate among investors and analysts. Some experts argue that the bull market has already started, while others view the current rally as merely a short-term surge. The truth likely lies somewhere in between, with rising prices pointing to growing momentum across the crypto sector.

This guide highlights 7 cryptocurrencies we believe should be in your portfolio before the market enters its next growth phase. These assets were selected through comprehensive analysis, including technical indicators, fundamental factors, and social metrics.

Top Cryptocurrencies to Buy Before the Bull Run

First and foremost, it's important to remember that no indicator can accurately predict which coin will deliver exponential gains. The crypto market remains highly volatile and unpredictable. However, based on our analysis of current market conditions, accumulating established crypto assets with strong fundamentals is already a solid foundation for building a diversified portfolio.

Our selection criteria included market capitalization, technological innovation, developer activity, user growth, and community interest. Each asset on our list offers unique characteristics and growth potential in different market environments.

1. Bitcoin

The leading cryptocurrency rightfully takes the top spot on our list. Bitcoin remains the largest crypto asset by market capitalization and continues to serve as digital gold for both institutional and retail investors.

From a fundamental standpoint, Bitcoin’s outlook is highly promising. This optimism stems not only from a wave of spot ETF applications by investment giants like BlackRock, but also from the steady increase in BTC holders. Institutional demand for Bitcoin is at record highs, underscoring the asset's growing acceptance as a legitimate investment instrument.

It’s also notable that over the past few years, dozens of major holders (“whales”)—who had been inactive for extended periods—have suddenly moved millions of dollars in Bitcoin between addresses. This activity could signal preparations for significant market moves.

Additionally, the upcoming halving—a historically significant event—has often catalyzed Bitcoin price rallies. The halving cuts miner rewards in half, slowing the issuance of new coins and creating a scarcity effect. Experts remain optimistic about the price outlook, expecting a repeat of classic growth patterns seen after previous halvings.

Technical factors also support this positive outlook. A close look at BTC’s weekly chart shows the 20-week moving average crossing above the 50-week average, forming the rare “golden cross” pattern. Historically, this technical indicator has preceded major bull runs, marking the start of previous bullish cycles.

Social activity tracking shows a substantial increase in recent months. While this may relate to the upcoming halving and rising institutional interest, the surge in community engagement has also been followed by a price spike—demonstrating the correlation between public interest and market dynamics.

For these reasons, BTC should be the first asset you consider adding to your portfolio ahead of the next bull market. Its role as digital gold and increasing institutional recognition make it a relatively safe bet in the crypto space.

2. Ethereum

Ethereum is arguably the most discussed cryptocurrency after Bitcoin—and for good reason. It isn’t just a digital asset; it’s an entire ecosystem for developing decentralized applications, smart contracts, and innovative financial products.

While some analysts believe Layer 2 blockchains (Layer 2) have reduced ETH’s appeal as an investment, co-founder Vitalik Buterin maintains that Ethereum’s technology stack is more than sufficient to support its expanding ecosystem. In fact, Layer 2 solutions enhance Ethereum’s capabilities rather than compete with it, since they all rely on the mainnet for security.

The ongoing reduction in ETH supply after switching to the Proof-of-Stake consensus is another reason for optimism. Following The Merge upgrade, Ethereum became a deflationary asset, meaning more tokens are burned than minted. This mechanism creates long-term upward pressure on price.

Technical analysis reveals a similar setup to BTC. A crossover of the 20-week and 50-week moving averages could push Ethereum to new highs. Historically, such crossovers have been powerful bullish signals for ETH.

Social activity for ETH has soared more than 500% in recent months, making it one of the most talked-about cryptocurrencies worldwide. This surge is driven by both network upgrades and the growing number of applications built on Ethereum, including DeFi protocols, NFT platforms, and gaming projects.

3. Arbitrum

Arbitrum stands out as one of the strongest Layer 2 blockchains for Ethereum. The project offers a scaling solution that enables faster and cheaper transactions without compromising the security of the Ethereum mainnet.

Even before its official launch, Arbitrum attracted significant attention from both large holders and retail investors. This is evidenced by a sharp increase in unique addresses on the network. Active user numbers continue to grow, highlighting the growing adoption of Layer 2 technology.

Arbitrum’s compatibility with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) allows developers to easily migrate applications from the Ethereum mainnet to Arbitrum, lowering the barrier to entry and fueling rapid ecosystem growth.

As a relatively young project, weekly charts may not be the best analysis tool. However, the daily timeframe reveals a forming “golden cross,” indicating bullish momentum is developing. This technical pattern could signal significant medium-term price growth.

Social volume for ARB is also on the rise, with mentions increasing by more than 47% in recent months. Growing community interest is driven by the successful development of the Arbitrum ecosystem and the launch of new projects on the platform.

4. Ripple

XRP has been a standout performer in recent months. Ripple’s legal victory against the US Securities and Exchange Commission not only triggered a price rally but also strengthened the crypto community’s confidence in XRP’s future. This court decision set a key precedent for the entire industry.

Ripple continues to advance its technology for international payments, collaborating with banks and financial institutions globally. Its RippleNet network offers fast, low-cost cross-border payments, making it a compelling alternative to the traditional SWIFT system.

Technical analysis points to a golden cross forming on the weekly chart. If this pattern continues, XRP’s price could break local highs and enter a strong upward trend. Long-term technical indicators also suggest growing bullish momentum.

Social activity around XRP has skyrocketed in recent months, thanks in part to major banks exploring Ripple technology for central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). Interest from public sector and traditional finance institutions further legitimizes the project.

Ripple co-founder Arthur Britto has also emphasized the network’s technological advantages and its growing adoption in finance as evidence of Ripple’s scalability and future price potential.

5. Chainlink

As the world shifts focus to tokenizing real-world assets (RWA), artificial intelligence, and other emerging technologies, even established blockchains will increasingly depend on real-world data. This makes Chainlink an increasingly vital and irreplaceable component of the blockchain ecosystem.

Chainlink is a decentralized oracle network that enables smart contracts to securely interact with external data, APIs, and traditional banking systems. Without oracles like Chainlink, blockchains remain isolated and unable to access off-chain information.

Recently, Chainlink broke out of a prolonged sideways trend that lasted over 500 days. Yet, its price remains well below historical highs—an opportunity to add LINK to your portfolio ahead of the next bull run. The growth potential remains significant.

Weekly technical analysis offers a highly positive outlook. Previously, when the 20-day moving average crossed above the 50-day average, LINK’s price moved to new levels. A similar crossover appears to be forming now, signaling a powerful long-term entry point.

Chainlink’s social volume has surged by 170% in recent months, reflecting its rising popularity in the crypto community. Interest in Chainlink is driven by expanding use cases across DeFi, insurance, gaming, and enterprise solutions.

6. Uniswap

The past few years have been challenging for decentralized protocols, with regulatory pressures and competition from centralized platforms. Nevertheless, new use cases—like cross-chain compatibility and decentralized credit scoring—are positioning DeFi as a major narrative for the next bull market.

It’s no surprise that Uniswap, the largest decentralized exchange, makes our list. Uniswap pioneered automated market making (AMM) and remains the leader in decentralized trading.

Notably, over 70% of Uniswap addresses belong to long-term holders. This demonstrates strong confidence in the asset’s future, with UNI holders opting to hold rather than sell at current prices. Such a holder structure signals deep community conviction in the project’s long-term value.

While the weekly chart doesn’t yet show clear bullish signals, Uniswap’s price is holding above the 20-week moving average, and a weekly close above it could spark growth. Technical indicators suggest accumulation ahead of a potential breakout.

Social engagement for Uniswap has also risen sharply. This increased interest is linked to ongoing protocol development, including new versions (Uniswap v3 and v4) with improved capital efficiency and additional features for liquidity providers.

7. Injective

Injective is a blockchain platform for smart contract execution and decentralized applications, built on the Cosmos SDK. It enables users to access a wide range of dApps with zero gas fees—a notable advantage given high fees on other blockchains.

With renewed interest in DeFi and rising demand for high-performance blockchain platforms, Injective’s native token INJ is a compelling choice for your crypto portfolio. Injective specializes in decentralized derivatives trading, unlocking new possibilities for advanced financial instruments in DeFi.

One promising factor for Injective is its share of long-term holders: 42% of owners have held tokens for a year or more, signaling strong community confidence in the project’s future. The number of active INJ users is also rising, reflecting actual platform usage.

Technical analysis shows the 20-day moving average has crossed above the 50-day average, triggering a price rally. This bullish signal could indicate further upward momentum.

Mentions of Injective on social platforms have soared by 250% in recent months. This growing interest is tied to the platform’s unique capabilities and potential to become a leader in decentralized derivatives trading.

Our Cryptocurrency Selection Criteria

Though the market has rallied for several weeks and is holding key psychological levels, a full-fledged bull run will likely take more time. Building a sustainable bull trend requires position accumulation and steadily increasing institutional interest.

Most crypto assets remain much closer to their historical lows than highs, meaning there’s still time to accumulate positions ahead of the next major bull run. This creates favorable conditions for entering the market at attractive prices.

We disregarded recent short-term price spikes and followed a data-driven approach based on five core market indicators, allowing for a more objective assessment of each asset’s potential.

These indicators are:

• Historical precedents and price movement patterns: Analyzing previous bull cycles and how current conditions mirror past trends.

• Fundamental factors: Focusing on declining NVT (Network Value to Transactions) ratios as evidence of rising real network activity, along with analysis of large transactions and major holder movements.

• Technical analysis: Prioritizing volume analysis over specific periods, as well as long-term tools like Fibonacci levels, long-term RSI, and potential or ongoing moving average crossovers.

• Social metrics: Growth in social mentions and engagement, which often precede major price moves and indicate rising community interest.

• Project outlook: Evaluating technological innovation, developer activity, partnerships, and the overall growth of each project’s ecosystem.

In addition to these indicators, macroeconomic and geopolitical factors must also be considered. However, these are temporary phenomena that require constant monitoring and ongoing adjustments to your investment strategy.

Summary

Finding assets with exponential growth potential is challenging amid the intense competition and volatility of the crypto market. Successful investing requires not only luck, but also thorough analysis, patience, and discipline.

Even if you add our recommended tokens to your portfolio ahead of the next bull market, we strongly advise focusing on diversification and regularly rebalancing your holdings in accordance with macroeconomic and geopolitical factors. Never invest all your funds in a single asset, regardless of its perceived potential.

Each of the cryptocurrencies featured here—Bitcoin, Ethereum, Arbitrum, Ripple, Chainlink, Uniswap, and Injective—has unique attributes and growth potential. Together, they create a diversified portfolio covering key crypto sectors: from digital gold (Bitcoin) to DeFi protocols (Uniswap), scaling solutions (Arbitrum), and oracles (Chainlink).

Remember, cryptocurrency investing carries significant risks. Only invest what you can afford to lose. Conduct your own research, monitor project developments, and be prepared for volatility.

FAQ

Which major cryptocurrencies should you hold before the bull market, and why do they stand out?

Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) are the market leaders in influence and technological innovation. BNB, SOL, and XRP are also vital thanks to their ecosystems and utility. These assets offer the highest growth potential for the coming bull cycle.

How do you build a balanced crypto portfolio?

Diversify across different types of cryptocurrencies and stablecoins based on your risk tolerance. Regularly rebalance your portfolio, hold some stablecoins for liquidity, and always conduct your own research before investing.

What investment strategy is best before a crypto bull market?

Before the bull run, diversify your portfolio, study projects with strong fundamentals, accumulate assets long-term, and manage your risk. Avoid concentrating in a single asset, stick to your plan without emotion, and be ready for volatility.

How do Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other major cryptocurrencies perform during a bull market?

Bitcoin leads in stability and market cap, while Ethereum is more volatile thanks to DeFi growth. In the 2020–2021 bull run, Bitcoin rose from $10,000 to $69,000, and Ethereum reached $4,891. Conservative investors prefer Bitcoin, while Ethereum appeals to Web3 technology advocates.

How can a beginner choose and buy cryptocurrency?

Pick a reputable platform with high trading volume. Register, complete verification, and fund your account by bank transfer or card. Start with major cryptocurrencies (BTC, ETH) and small amounts as you learn.

What are the main risks of crypto investing, and how can you avoid them?

Main risks include price volatility, hacks, regulatory changes, and project abandonment. To manage risk, use multiple platforms, decentralized apps, and consider CFD contracts to trade without private keys or exchange risk.

How do you know if a crypto bull market is coming?

Watch for rising trading volumes, growing participation, and a positive market climate. Key signals include capital inflows, breaking technical resistance levels, and increasing institutional investor interest in digital assets.

What security measures are essential for long-term crypto storage?

Use strong passwords and two-factor authentication (2FA), keep funds in offline hardware wallets, regularly check app permissions, avoid phishing, and steer clear of unaudited projects to maximize asset security.