The cryptocurrency market has always been a rollercoaster, but recent sentiments from seasoned traders highlight a unique challenge in the current cycle. A notable tweet from a crypto influencer on June 10, 2025, pointed out that many crypto OGs (original gangsters, or early adopters) have called this the 'hardest' cycle ever, attributing it not to market conditions but to a lack of adaptability or skill. According to the tweet by Kook Capital LLC, the meme coin supercycle was a clear trend to capitalize on as early as fall 2023, following the launch of WIF (dogwifhat) on the Solana blockchain. The strategy was straightforward: trade Solana-based meme coin launches and cycle profits into Bitcoin for long-term gains. This perspective sheds light on a critical divide in trader approaches during this cycle, where meme coins have driven unprecedented volatility and volume. As of October 2023, WIF saw a price surge of over 300% within weeks of launch, peaking at $0.42 on November 15, 2023, with trading volume on Solana DEXs spiking to $150 million daily during that period, as reported by on-chain data from CoinGecko. This meme coin frenzy wasn’t just a fad; it reflected a broader market sentiment shift toward high-risk, high-reward plays, especially on Solana, where transaction speeds and low fees enabled rapid trading. Meanwhile, Bitcoin hovered around $38,000 on November 15, 2023, providing a stable anchor for profit-taking, as per historical price data from CoinMarketCap. This cycle’s complexity lies in navigating these speculative waves while balancing portfolio risk, a skill not all traders have mastered.

From a trading perspective, the meme supercycle offered clear opportunities for those who spotted the trend early. The strategy outlined—trading Solana meme launches and rotating profits into Bitcoin—capitalized on both short-term pumps and long-term stability. For instance, Solana’s price itself rose from $54 on November 1, 2023, to $78 by December 15, 2023, a 44% increase, driven partly by meme coin activity boosting network usage, according to Solscan on-chain metrics. Trading pairs like WIF/SOL saw daily volumes exceed $20 million during peak hype on November 20, 2023, per DEX Screener data. The play was to enter early on meme launches, ride the 200-300% pumps often seen within 48 hours, and exit into Bitcoin, which maintained a steady uptrend, reaching $41,000 by December 1, 2023, as tracked by Binance historical data. This cycle also highlighted a correlation with broader stock market risk appetite; during Q4 2023, the S&P 500 gained 8% from October to December, reflecting a 'risk-on' mood that spilled into crypto, especially speculative assets like meme coins, as noted in Bloomberg market reports. For crypto traders, this meant monitoring stock market sentiment as a leading indicator for meme coin pumps, creating cross-market trading opportunities.

Diving into technical indicators, Solana’s Relative Strength Index (RSI) on the daily chart hit overbought levels above 70 on November 18, 2023, signaling potential pullbacks after meme-driven rallies, per TradingView data. Bitcoin, conversely, showed a stable RSI around 55 during the same period, confirming its role as a safe haven for profits. On-chain metrics further supported this narrative; Solana’s transaction count peaked at 9.5 million daily on November 25, 2023, a 120% increase from October, driven by meme coin trading, according to Solscan. Meanwhile, Bitcoin’s network activity showed steady accumulation, with wallet addresses holding over 0.1 BTC increasing by 2% from November to December 2023, per Glassnode data. Cross-market correlation was evident as Nasdaq’s tech-heavy gains of 10% in Q4 2023 mirrored Bitcoin’s stability, suggesting institutional money flow into both markets, as highlighted by Reuters financial analysis. Crypto-related stocks like Coinbase (COIN) also saw a 15% uptick to $145 by December 10, 2023, per Yahoo Finance, reflecting broader market confidence. For traders, this cycle underscored the importance of timing meme coin exits using volume spikes and RSI, while leveraging stock market trends to gauge institutional interest in crypto.

Finally, the interplay between stock and crypto markets in this cycle cannot be ignored. Institutional money flow, evident from Bitcoin ETF inflows reaching $1.2 billion in Q4 2023 as reported by Bitwise, showed a clear link between traditional finance and crypto stability. Meme coins, while speculative, indirectly boosted Solana’s visibility, drawing retail and institutional interest alike. Traders who missed the meme supercycle could still position for future cycles by monitoring stock market risk indicators like the VIX, which dropped to 13.5 on December 5, 2023, signaling low fear and high risk appetite, per CBOE data. This environment favored crypto speculation, creating opportunities for agile traders to exploit cross-market dynamics while managing risk through Bitcoin allocations. With meme coin volumes on Solana still elevated at $80 million daily as of early January 2024 per DEX Screener, the play remains relevant for those with the skill to navigate this 'hardest' cycle.