On The Pulse - Edition #015
Welcome to On The Pulse, with Maui.

Hey everyone, welcome back to this week's edition of 'On The Pulse.' Thanks as ever to all who have subscribed and are reading this via email. If you're currently browsing, please consider subscribing! If you find today's newsletter valuable, please recommend it to a friend and feel free to suggest topics or ask questions on my Twitter @jordymaui.

🎓 Lesson of the Week: “NFT Mints vs Memecoin Launches”

One of the most frequently asked questions i’ve been having recently is ‘whats the difference between making an NFT project or a memecoin?’ - This week i’m going to dive into the clear differences in order for

🎨 NFT Mints:

NFT mints refer to the process of creating and releasing non-fungible tokens (NFTs) onto the blockchain - through a smart contract (covered in previous editions of OTP!). There are several types of NFT mints, including individual collections, open editions, and collaborations. Individual collections involve a single artist or creator releasing their own series of NFTs, each with unique traits and attributes - usually between 5,000-10,000 and all themed around something like animals etc. Open editions, on the other hand, involve unlimited copies of a specific NFT being minted, allowing multiple buyers to purchase the same item - used mainly for artists and creatives. Collaborations often involve multiple artists or brands coming together to create a joint NFT collection, leveraging their combined creativity and audience reach - more uncommon but usually happens with seasonal mints.

💰 Memecoin Launches:

Memecoin launches, on the other hand, refer to the release of new cryptocurrency tokens, often with a focus on meme culture and community-driven marketing. These launches can take various forms, including pump and dump schemes, rug pulls, and legitimate team-contracted projects. Pump and dump schemes involve artificially inflating the price of a token through coordinated buying, followed by selling off for profit once the price peaks. Rug pulls occur when developers abandon a project after raising funds, leaving investors with worthless tokens (or straight up pulling the entire projects liquidity and sending the entire thing to 0 in seconds). Legitimate team-contracted launches involve transparent development teams creating and releasing new tokens with clear utility and use cases, often backed by dedicated communities and long-term vision.

There is also a new form of memecoin launch - currently very popular - on Solana known as ‘pump(dot)fun’ memecoins. This is a tool that allows you to create your own memecoin for a very low fee and launch it for fun, completely by yourself. IF people think its funny enough or you go to the effort of doing some marketing and making socials/memes etc and reach a certain ‘bonding curve’ on the platform, they will create the liquidity pool for you and launch your coin onto Raydium the Solana DEX for it to become tradable on the open market. This is an important one to highlight due to the insane popularity Solana Memecoins have had with hundreds launching per minute via these tools and creating insane results for those who find & get in early on ones that launch to the public.

🔍 Key Differences:

While both NFT mints and memecoin launches involve the creation and release of digital assets, there are significant differences between the two processes. NFT mints focus on the creation of unique and collectible digital artworks or assets, often with limited editions and artistic value and will be sold individually for a ’mint price’ - reflecting that of a product sale. Memecoin launches, on the other hand, revolve around the creation of new cryptocurrency tokens, with varying levels of legitimacy and potential for investment returns. It's essential for participants to understand these distinctions and conduct thorough research before participating in either type of launch or mint.

🚀 Conclusion:

In summary, NFT mints and memecoin launches represent distinct aspects of the crypto and blockchain space, each with its own characteristics, risks, and opportunities. NFT mints offer a creative outlet for artists and collectors to create and exchange unique digital assets, while memecoin launches involve the creation and distribution of cryptocurrency tokens, often influenced by meme culture and speculative trading. By understanding the differences between these two processes, participants can make informed decisions and navigate the evolving landscape of digital asset creation and investment. It’s worthwhile mentioning that both ecosystems are dense and can be a tough learning curve and I do not actively promote jumping in heads first to these rough waters. Be extremely cautious, dip your toes in and understand the risks.

Major Headlines: "The Weekly Roundup"

This week the headlines are all about ETF confirmations, a Successful Halving & FTX selling off its holdings of Solana (again) - Dive in with me:

🇭🇰 Hong Kong ETF to trade from April 30th:

Hong Kong is set to launch Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) on April 30th, marking a significant milestone in the region's crypto adoption journey. With regulatory approval secured, investors will soon have access to these ETFs, providing them with a regulated and convenient way to gain exposure to Bitcoin. This development is expected to attract more institutional and retail investors to the crypto market, further fuelling its growth. Get all the details about this exciting launch here.

🚀 Bitcoin Halving - Completes!:

Bitcoin's highly anticipated halving event has occurred, marking the reduction of miner rewards by half. This significant milestone, which happens approximately every four years, has major implications for the Bitcoin network and its ecosystem. With the halving, the rate at which new bitcoins are created decreases, leading to a decrease in the overall supply of new coins. This event is closely watched by traders, investors, and enthusiasts alike, as it historically has had a significant impact on Bitcoin's price and market dynamics. Learn more about the implications of this halving event here.

🏛️ FTX to auction off it’s Solana holdings:

In a move to address its outstanding obligations, FTX is set to conduct another auction of its Solana holdings. This decision comes after a previous auction, aiming to settle funds owed to users affected by the exchange's recent issues. The auction provides an opportunity for potential bidders to acquire Solana tokens directly from FTX, which could have implications for both the exchange and the broader Solana ecosystem. Dive into the details of FTX's auction plans and the potential impact on the market in this article.

Maui’s Weekly Analysis of Charts

Dive into the pulse of the crypto market with me for a quick overview. If there are elements you don’t understand here, don’t worry – feel free to ask me questions on Twitter. Interested in a specific chart analysis? Let me know! I’ll also be holding weekly polls based on your suggestions. Anyway, here are this week’s charts:

₿ BTC (Bitcoin):

• Recent Price Action: Over the last 7 Days, $BTC is up 6% and currently trading at around $66,000.

• Weekly Forecast: After last weeks drops to $59,000 - the $60,000 support area continues to hold strong and the bottom of our range bounced with significant spot buying. The week ahead will likely see volatility as ETF outflows continue.
  
  The pre-halving dump came and went. For me, this bounce has been super strong and I believe the bottom is in. (Quote me on that if we lose $60k support and drop to $52k lmao) This next week, my eyes are on forming a lower high at around $63,000 areas in order to continue what would be a significant move to the upside with $80k-$100k being the targets.

♦ ETH (Ethereum):

• Over the past 7 days, Ethereum is up 7% after reacting from the lows, Currently trading at $3,250.

• Weekly Forecast: With the flushes last week and ETH hitting $2800 again it’s likely we see another leg down or support touched again.
  

  For me, ETH continues to look slow and weak, especially when compared to other alt bounces. I’d look towards support being tested again and possibly even filling the wick down to $2,700 unless BTC makes a power move and carries the market on its back. There is several better opportunities than ETH out there but I will continue to analyse it for the purpose of the newsletter!

Bitcoin Dominance (BTC.D) has fallen back into the range zone and is currently at 54% which is also why we see strength in a few altcoins right now. Despite still being in an uptrend, the pullbacks have allowed room for many alts to see full recoveries and look to return to the upside. Despite this, I’m still expecting a little flush before we go all out crazy, post halving.

As always, i’ll mention this: BTC.D up = Money is in Bitcoin, alts bleed or stay stagnant. BTC.D down = Money flowing into alternative coins & bitcoin ranges or bleeds out.

Now, let’s give an update on the altcoins we’re still looking at each week.

This week - we’re continuing accumulation after some lovely bounces and monitering each of our price targets and buying zones as markets move.

/ AVAX (next height target of $70, buying more/bids at $34 or lower.)
Currently $37 and continuing to bid anything below $34.

/ SOLANA (next height target of $200, buying more/bids at $115 or lower.)
Currently $154 and looking to accumulate anything below $140.

/ INJ (next height target of $54, buying more/bids at $30 or lower.)
Currently trading around $27, continuing to add to our positions on anything below $25.

/ SEI (next height target of $1.30, buying more/bids at $0.63 or lower.)
Currently at $0.6 - holding previous bids and awaiting leg up.

/ MAVIA (next height target of $12, buying more/bids at $4 or lower.)
Currently at $4.5 and holding from our lower bids awaiting new highs.

/ RNDR (next height target of $12, buying more/bids at $6 or lower.)
Currently $8.80 and holding our positions.

/ LINK (next height target of $24, buying more/bids at $17 or lower.)
Currently sitting at $15, holding previous bids now and waiting for market.

/ MATIC (next height target of $1.50, buying more/bids at $0.98 or lower.)
Currently still at $0.72 and barely moved - holding here and doing nothing.

/ NEAR (next height target of $10, buying more/bids at $3.50 or lower.)
Amazing bounce back to $7 last week and up on positions.

/ TIA (next height target of $24, buying more/bids at $13 lower.)
Still at $11, continuing to hold positions.

/ FET (aiming for ATH of around $4+, buying more here at $2.60 bounce)
Currently at $2.50 and awaiting a move higher on our positions.

/ TAO (aiming for ATH of $850+ and bought at the $528 support region.)
Currently at $480 - accumulating more awaiting moves up again.

/ WIF (aiming for ATH above $10 and bought at the $3.70 areas)
Currently at $3.20 and major news to come - accumulating more.

/ APT (aiming for $30+ and accumulating here at the $14-$15 range)
Same as last week, sitting on my hands waiting here at $9.

If you would like me to take a look at any specific charts or go deeper into anything, please feel free to reach out to me on twitter or email!

📰 The Summary: From Crypto Trends to NFT Buzz

Each week, we will end the newsletter with a really brief TLDR (Too Long, Didn’t Read) assessment of what’s been going on this week across Crypto and NFTs. I hope this section provides additional value for those who read!

Crypto:

• 📊 Market Trends: Bounces across the board, but not for long....?

• 🇭🇰 HK ETFs to trade from April 30th: After being approved last week, trading will begin on Honk Kongs ETFs from April 30th.

• 🏛️ FTX plans to auction its Solana Holdings: In a blind auction, FTX will continue to sell its SOL holdings to pay back its customers.

• ✅ BTC Halving Official: On April 20th, BTC successfully halved its mining rewards and began its next 4 year cycle.

• 🚓 Binance founder CZ sentenced to 3 years in US: US Prosecutors are searching to give CZ a 36 month sentence for ‘gravity’ of crimes.

NFTs:

• 🔱 Runes launch but dump: The long awaited Runes drop arrives and sees $205m in volume but drops 60% in value.

• 🥊 Token2049 - Ansem Boxing: Mass influencer Ansem loses his fight in Dubai with several memecoins launching around it.

• 👔 Memecoins eyed by venture capital: Several reports are surfacing on VCs & more accumulating and purchasing memecoins.

• 🇨🇳 Maneki Memecoin hits $150m in 1 day: More memecoin madness returns as $maneki reaches $150m market cap in less than 24 hours.

• 🔵 Magic Eden to expand to base: Leading marketplace ME continues to expand by adopting NFTs launched on BASE.

And with that, we’re wrapped up for another week. If you have any suggestions for lesson of the week, please let me know! If you enjoyed this weeks newsletter, please feel free to support by following me on twitter @jordymaui

Until next time!