- Fed cut anticipation has altcoin traders bracing for a 2017-style parabolic rally, with TOTAL3 inflows set to rise.
- Chainlink whales are loading up, with over 1.25M LINK added in a week and strong institutional backing from U.S. government data projects.
- Cardano whales are selling, though upgrades like Leios in 2026 and confidence boosts from the Midnight airdrop may offer long-term support.
The altcoin market has been buzzing with anticipation for a major breakout before 2025 comes to a close. Traders are eyeing September 17 with intensity—the day the Federal Reserve is widely expected to cut rates. Prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket already price in the odds above 85%, fueling chatter that crypto could be gearing up for another parabolic move, not unlike the wild rally we saw back in late 2017.
With this backdrop, capital is expected to rotate aggressively into TOTAL3—altcoins outside of Ethereum (ETH). Two names keep popping up as prime beneficiaries: Cardano (ADA) and Chainlink (LINK). Both have their loyal communities, solid fundamentals, and plenty of room to grow. But the pace—and the storylines—behind their moves couldn’t be more different.
Chainlink Whales Go All-In
On-chain data shows whales are quietly doubling down on Chainlink. Addresses holding between 100k and 1 million LINK coins have scooped up an additional 1.25 million tokens in just the past week. That brings their collective stash to around 181.5 million LINK—a serious vote of confidence.
The appetite makes sense. Chainlink isn’t just riding hype; it’s building connections where it matters. Recently, the U.S. Department of Commerce tapped Chainlink to support cross-chain onboarding of official macroeconomic data, including GDP stats, via the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Add in its growing list of DeFi integrations, and LINK’s narrative looks more like infrastructure than speculation. Whales seem to know it.
Cardano Whales Tap the Brakes
Cardano, meanwhile, has been facing a tougher crowd. Wallet data from Santiment shows that holders with 1M–10M ADA have dumped 30 million tokens over the past few days. The exodus follows months of FUD swirling around the project, including criticism from Cardano’s own founder, Charles Hoskinson, who openly called out the Cardano Foundation for dropping the ball on integrations with players like LayerZero and even itself.
Still, ADA isn’t out of the race. The Midnight airdrop back in August 2025 offered some relief, and the Leios upgrade planned for 2026 could be a major game-changer. Confidence also ticked back up after a positive audit report of the ADA Voucher program. It feels like ADA is in a rebuilding phase—working through turbulence but still holding long-term promise.
LINK vs ADA: Who Has the Edge?
When you put the two side by side, LINK’s case feels stronger for the near-term. Its fundamentals are tighter, its whale activity is surging, and it’s benefiting from tangible institutional integrations. With a fully diluted valuation (FDV) around $22 billion and a daily trading volume near $982M, LINK has both liquidity and momentum on its side.
ADA, with an FDV closer to $37 billion, still has scale—but struggles with execution and narrative clarity. Upcoming upgrades could flip sentiment, but for now, it looks like LINK has the upper hand in this battle of altcoin heavyweights.
