Opportunities and Strategies in the DeFi Boom: Uncovering New Potential

Recently, the DeFi sector has become exceptionally lively again. From the short-term surge of MYX to the tenfold increase of AVNT, and the early returns of Aster’s airdrop exceeding ten times, this wave of market activity has almost plunged the entire market into a state of FOMO. As an observer, I feel that this is not just a short-term frenzy driven by market sentiment, but also reflects investors’ sensitivity to innovative DeFi protocols and their ability to capture potential projects. While short-term prices attract attention, what truly deserves focus from a long-term value investment perspective are projects with robust technology, reasonable ecological layout, and experienced teams.

On-chain data is very intuitive: MYX surged from $10 to $17, with daily trading volume nearly quadrupling; AVNT stabilized at $1, with active addresses growing by 35% in the past week; Aster’s early airdrop users saw returns exceeding ten times, with a price increase of over 1300% within 12 hours. It can be seen that this wave of market activity not only pushed prices but also significantly boosted on-chain activity and user participation, creating a dual resonance of market sentiment and ecological vitality in the short term.

From the perspective of market dynamics, the driving effect of price surges on the sector is very evident. The price spike of Aster directly led to the correlated rise of early projects like MYX and AVNT; at the same time, platforms like Lighter.xyz, EdgeX_exchange, and TradeParadex also have the opportunity to become the next focal points. The continuous expansion of the Base ecosystem provides investors with a clear direction—ecological dividends combined with technological advantages mean that in the wave of the sector, opportunities are always reserved for insightful planners. This also explains why Professor Su lamented in the morning report, “Everything that the secondary market can eat, I can’t eat,” as the FOMO atmosphere drives not only prices but also market attention.

Upon closer observation of the entire DeFi sector, it can be found that investment logic is quietly changing. In the past, the market was almost entirely driven by sentiment: airdrops and short-term surges became the focus, and new coins were often abandoned after a brief spike. However, experienced investors are beginning to realize that to discover the next potential project amidst the frenzy, several key characteristics are necessary:

• Strong technology: Sufficient trading depth, efficient matching mechanisms, and excellent slippage control can support large capital inflows and institutional participation, while forming a natural moat in derivatives and liquidity management.

• Robust ecology: Early user and community participation is fundamental, but there must also be clear incentive mechanisms and ecological layouts to maintain activity amidst capital inflow and market expansion.

• Reasonable valuation: Hot coins in the sector are easily pushed up by short-term surges; new projects aiming to become long-term winners need to demonstrate stability in FDV and lock-up ratios while leaving room for growth for long-term investors.

Taking BSX as an example, it received multiple rounds of investment from Base early on in the DEX sector, with Blockchain Capital as the lead investor, a well-established institution in crypto investment, which shows the industry’s recognition of its technology and team. BSX’s order book trading and matching capabilities are close to HyperliquidX, providing significant advantages in high-frequency trading and liquidity management. Although it does not have the short-term windfall like Aster, its robust technology and ecological layout offer low-risk investment opportunities for discerning investors. The expansion dividends of the Base ecosystem may also bring additional value. This indicates that projects with technological moats and ecological advantages often maintain steady growth after the market heat subsides.

Under this standard, Orderly’s performance deserves special attention.

• Technology and trading model: Order book trading and high-frequency matching capabilities give the platform a natural advantage in derivatives and liquidity management, while its trading depth and slippage control are excellent, supporting large capital inflows and institutional participation.

• Ecological layout: Orderly is advancing cooperation and community incentive measures, with platform activity and trading depth expected to steadily grow alongside the expansion of ecosystems like Base and EdgeX. Its multi-dimensional ecological strategy focuses not only on trading volume but also on community governance and long-term incentives, retaining value for capital and users.

• Valuation and potential: Compared to hot coins in the sector, Orderly’s fully circulating market cap remains low, with significant potential. In terms of FDV and lock-up ratios, Orderly is relatively stable while providing a safety boundary for long-term investors.

• Financing background: Notably, Orderly has cumulatively completed $25 million in financing since its establishment, with early investors including top global institutions like Pantera, Dragonfly, Jump, and Sequoia China. The bets from these leading capitals also indirectly confirm its long-term potential and industry position.

Recently, everyone has been praising $AVNT, calling it “the Hyperliquid on Base,” but the data tells me that $ORDER is the severely undervalued perpetual contract opportunity. Orderly’s model resembles the underlying engine of DeFi or the AWS of Web3: unified order book + full-chain liquidity, handling scales that rival centralized exchanges. Currently supporting 58 builders, with liquidation amounts reaching billions of dollars, while the price of $ORDER remains at the undervalued stage of the sector’s early phase.

Data comparisons show:

• In core metrics such as trading volume, TVL, and open interest (OI), Orderly is 2-6 times higher than AVNT.

• Yet, the market cap of $ORDER is only 1/7 to 1/8 of AVNT.

This is not just undervaluation; it feels more like a market pricing error. A simple valuation model indicates that the reasonable value of $ORDER should be above $2.5, while the current trading price has just surpassed $0.15. Once the market realizes its true value, the price may quickly correct rather than slowly return to a reasonable price, creating strong upward momentum.

It is important to emphasize that Orderly is not only competing with other perp DEXs; it is building a full-chain, full-ecosystem infrastructure, aiming directly at a CME-level clearing system. In other words, its value is not only reflected in short-term market activity but also in the foundation and long-term potential within the entire DeFi ecosystem.

Combining recent market dynamics, DeFi investment strategies can be divided into short-term arbitrage and long-term layout. Short-term arbitrage opportunities are evident: seize the surge and airdrop profits, quickly profiting like MYX, AVNT, and Aster. However, long-term layout tests one’s vision; truly robust opportunities often hide within projects that have deep technology, complete ecosystems, and experienced teams. Orderly is such a case: it may not be immediately fully recognized by the market, but as the DeFi sector matures, these undervalued technical projects typically undergo value reassessment.

From the investor’s perspective, the DeFi boom is not just about chasing short-term windfalls but also a re-evaluation process of sector potential, technological innovation, and ecological layout. In this process, Orderly meets the three key dimensions of technology, ecology, and valuation, allowing it to avoid short-term noise while capturing long-term growth opportunities.

In summary, the DeFi boom brings not only price fluctuations but also a window for observing, understanding, and uncovering potential projects. Rational investors should remain calm amidst the frenzy, focusing on sector trends and core project values. As a technology-driven potential coin, Orderly undoubtedly deserves continued attention. In the coming months, as market capital flows back and ecological dividends are released, Orderly’s performance will be an important window for observing the maturity of DeFi and the logic of potential investments.

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