Arthur Hayes Maelstrom Goes High Risk on Altcoins in 2026
Maelstrom, the investment fund founded by Arthur Hayes, is starting 2026 with a close to maximum risk profile established by Hayes, with significantly less exposure to stablecoins but heavy exposure to risk assets. The fund is diversified across bitcoin, privacy coins such as
$ZEC , and developing DeFi tokens. This is on the basis of a firm conviction that the underlying macro environment will provide sufficient impetus to sustain high prices.
Hayes explains that the increased deficit spending in the U.S. economy, credit expansion, as well as the prospect of easing, will inject liquidity. This, according to Hayes, is an opportunistic time for all cryptos but will more specifically favor high-risk cryptos. It is a successful yet unbalanced 2025 that has led the Maelstrom team to refine its model, according to which themes will be best suited amidst the liquidity wave.
The strategy represents a clear continuation of the aggressive stance that Maelstrom took in the second half of last year, during which it stepped up appearances on dips and entered overlooked areas of the market. Hayes is also convinced that the macro-driven global liquidity cycle is likely to define market action throughout 2026, with altcoins set to outperform as capital rotates further out on the risk curve.
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