In the blink of an eye: The investment survival rules for "Crypto and US stock enthusiasts" in 2026

Time flies like a white horse, and in the blink of an eye, 2025 has become history. The evolution of the global financial markets in this year is profoundly reshaping every investor’s cognitive map. From geopolitical fluctuations to macro expectations swings, from the decline of crypto narratives to the accelerated improvement of traditional financial infrastructure, all these rapid changes point in the same direction: TradFi and Web3 are no longer two parallel lines but are moving towards true integration at an unprecedented speed.

At this critical juncture, a group of builders from the front lines gathered to review the gains and losses of the past year, examine every detail of tokenized US stocks from concept to trading, and deeply reflect on the upcoming 2026. This collective insight may provide a clearer action guide for investors who are simultaneously stepping on both the US stock and crypto stages.

The Swift Turn of 2025: From Narrative-Driven to Value Reversion

Looking back at 2025, the market’s key words have changed significantly. If one word summarizes the core turning point of the US stock market, it is from “narrative-driven” to “value reversion.” The most intuitive manifestation of this shift is the devaluation of AI narratives—markets no longer buy into simple “AI stories” but begin to rigorously question whether the capital expenditure of tech giants can truly translate into real revenue.

Meanwhile, tokenized assets have suddenly entered the landing stage from the conceptual level. In the past few years, discussions about tokenized US stocks and on-chain assets mostly stayed at the hypothetical level of “what if such tools existed.” But by 2025, market focus has shifted entirely to practical issues like “are these tools usable, is liquidity deep enough, can participation be sustained.” Users are genuinely concerned not whether assets are on-chain, but whether they are easy to trade and worth holding long-term.

In this swift transformation, the pace of integration between traditional finance and Web3 has clearly accelerated. On one hand, the application and volume of stablecoins in daily life have become increasingly visible; on the other hand, cryptographic technology has begun to become part of traditional financial infrastructure rather than just an observer. This means that even if the crypto market itself failed to sustain a bull run in 2025, its underlying value—efficient clearing and settlement—is gradually being absorbed by mainstream finance.

The launch of tokenized US stocks has opened a whole new door. It’s not just about putting stocks on-chain; it provides ordinary users with a natural pathway to enter the on-chain system from familiar traditional assets. Users don’t need to understand complex crypto concepts first; they can start from familiar assets (like Apple stocks) and gradually enter the “financial Lego” on-chain: holding, staking, earning yields, serving as leverage, wrapping into derivatives—these states can switch instantly or even be combined. This enhancement of “playability” is arguably the most underestimated change of 2025.

The Triple Play of Liquidity Overflow: Reordering US Stocks, BTC, and Alt Assets

Regarding liquidity flow in 2026, a core consensus is forming: when the Fed’s rate-cut cycle enters its mid-to-late stage, liquidity will not immediately flood into cryptocurrencies but will overflow sequentially.

First, US stocks will continue to absorb most of the new liquidity. This is because the US stock market has a mature regulatory framework, sufficient liquidity depth, and clear cash flow fundamentals. For institutional investors, the stock market remains the main battlefield for accumulation, leverage, and risk control. When US stock valuations are pushed to relatively high levels, excess hot money will spill out.

Second, BTC will serve as the second line of defense. As the only consensus asset in crypto that has withstood the test of time, Bitcoin often acts as an emotion amplifier—rising risk appetite leads it to lead the overall crypto market upward.

Finally, opportunities will emerge in various Alt assets. But here’s an important distinction: not all Altcoins will attract liquidity. Only those with actual cash flows, infrastructure attributes, or real application scenarios are likely to gain favor from marginal funds.

It’s also worth noting that the correlation between US stocks and cryptocurrencies is likely to decrease in 2026. This isn’t because they will completely decouple, but because their pricing logic is diverging: US stocks are increasingly driven by corporate earnings and cash flows (fundamentals), while crypto assets are shifting toward on-chain utility and protocol cash flows (utility-driven). This divergence is actually good news for investors—it signals that a truly diversified allocation era has arrived.

The Battle for Pricing Power: Nasdaq vs. On-Chain DEXs

As tokenized US stock trading volume increases, a necessary question arises: who will hold the pricing power for these assets?

The short-term answer is clear: traditional exchanges like Nasdaq. This is not only because they have the deepest liquidity and most comprehensive regulation but also because the entire system has strong risk constraints. In the Nasdaq ecosystem, market makers, brokerages, clearinghouses, and regulators form a highly intertwined system: price errors, liquidity distortions, abnormal volatility all directly translate into real financial losses and compliance risks, even legal liabilities. The high cost of mistakes naturally forces prices to continually correct toward the most accurate supply-demand equilibrium.

In contrast, the role of on-chain DEXs is gradually being defined as “complementary pricing”:

• They can provide global liquidity within 24 hours after Nasdaq closes
• For long-tail assets with insufficient depth, arbitrageurs on DEXs can perform marginal price corrections
• In derivatives and leverage trading scenarios, DEXs may offer functions that traditional exchanges cannot cover

However, the true transfer of pricing power requires more prerequisites: the emergence of enough top-tier market makers on-chain, enforceable responsibility and penalty mechanisms, and sufficient deep institutional-level liquidity. Until these conditions are fully met, Nasdaq remains the most reliable and costliest pricing authority.

The “Certainty” Track of 2026: Energy, Storage, and Space Triangle

If we look for long-term holding tracks in US stocks for 2026, the answer shouldn’t be the hottest AI chip stories but rather the “selling shovels” of the AI era.

Energy and power grid infrastructure are the top choices. In 2025, the market is racing for computing power, but by 2026, the bottleneck is clearly electricity. No matter how powerful chips are, if the grid cannot handle the load, everything is pointless. Aging US power grids, severe transformer shortages, and the rigid demand for additional computing capacity form an irreversible “infrastructure debt.” Whether it’s nuclear energy (especially small modular reactors, SMRs) or upgrading old grids, tech giants must spend money to run AI—this is a fundamental need with almost no uncertainty.

Storage is the underestimated second battlefield. After AI scales up, data storage shifts from optional to essential. Demand is growing rapidly, and current high-end HBM chips are in short supply, while enterprise-grade large-capacity hard drives cannot keep up. This is not just a price cycle but a transformation from cyclical commodities to essential infrastructure.

Space represents long-term growth potential. The anticipated IPO of SpaceX in 2026 could inject new vitality into the entire commercial space sector. Companies like RKLB (Rocket Lab), ASTS (Astra Space Technologies), though highly volatile, are becoming “beta assets” under the expectation of SpaceX’s listing.

The common features of these three tracks are: certain demand, supply constraints, layered industry chain deployment, and cash flow support. They may not be as “sexy” as AI chips, but from a risk-adjusted return perspective, certainty often outweighs stories.

The Key Variables Triggering the “ChatGPT Moment”: System or Liquidity?

Will there be a real “ChatGPT moment” in 2026—the inflection point where TradFi and tokenized US stock markets suddenly merge and explode?

If such a moment truly arrives, the most likely trigger isn’t a technological breakthrough but institutional innovation. Several possible directions include:

First, the normalization of 24/7 US stock trading. Once Nasdaq and other exchanges truly open round-the-clock trading, global liquidity will be fully activated. This will attract worldwide capital participation and open a free realm for downstream product innovation, potentially recreating the trading and application wave of the 2020 DeFi Summer.

Second, the formal inclusion of stablecoins into the financial system. Once compliant stablecoins are explicitly integrated into the financial system, scaled by banks and large financial institutions, and can achieve atomic settlement with tokenized securities, it means the on-chain issuance channel upgrades to a true clearing layer. This change is far more significant than any single technological breakthrough.

Third, the official entry of traditional clearing institutions like DTCC. If the largest US securities depository trust company allows financial institutions to directly provide real-time buying, selling, and settlement of US stock tokens on public chains, that would be a genuine “no turning back” moment.

But the most fundamental “ChatGPT moment” depends on large capital finally daring to enter massively. This hinges on their confidence in risk and regulation—once that confidence is full, liquidity will naturally break through all barriers.

The Truth About Hedging: Discipline and Cash Are Always More Important Than Skills

Faced with the increasing correlation and volatility between US stocks and crypto assets, as well as potential black swan risks, investors’ hedging logic is changing.

A consensus is forming: true hedging isn’t about skills but discipline. This includes several aspects:

Diversification bottom line thinking: Holding a mix of US stocks (mainly large caps with small caps in smaller proportions), crypto assets (preferably BTC and ETH), precious metals, and other asset classes, leveraging their low correlation for risk hedging. But a key parameter here is reserving sufficient cash (usually around 20%) to cope with potential major market corrections.

Strict leverage control: Experienced traders adopt strategies to keep leverage within controllable limits. For example, even with 10x leverage, only using 1/10 of total capital means that in extreme volatility, forced liquidation and heavy losses are avoided. The extreme volatility event on October 11, 2025, proved the importance of moderate leverage.

Emotional management: Perhaps the most overlooked yet critical part. Whether in US stocks or crypto markets, market volatility can easily break investors’ rational defenses. Disciplined profit-taking, stop-loss execution, resisting chasing highs—these seemingly simple rules are the real factors separating long-term winners from historical cannon fodder.

Practical perspective: Some research personnel reveal that, under liquidity scarcity, crypto markets can no longer move in perfect sync with US stocks. This suggests that to do well in investments, US stocks should occupy a larger proportion (around 80%), while crypto assets, with their high volatility, can be used for excess returns, periodically extracting profits to supplement low-risk positions like US stocks.

The biggest lesson for investors in 2025 is: making money isn’t always the most important thing; surviving long is. Staying alert amid market changes, maintaining discipline amid volatility, reserving sufficient liquidity and error margin—these may be the most practical survival rules for “Crypto and US stock investors” in 2026.