In 2025, nearly every single top cryptocurrency is now down for the year. Seemingly, no sector has been spared. Every hot crypto narrative has now gone cold.
But that's perfectly OK, because there are some significant bargains out there right now. The three cryptocurrencies at the top of my shopping list are Bitcoin (BTC 3.72%), Solana (SOL 4.65%) and Ondo (ONDO 6.73%).
Bitcoin
Bitcoin -- the behemoth cryptocurrency that still accounts for a whopping 60% of the market cap of the entire crypto market -- is now down 10% for the year. Of even more concern, it's now down nearly 25% from an all-time high of $109,000 in January. Some investors are now warning that Bitcoin could soon hit $70,000, which is where it was trading at on Election Day.
However, it's still too early for the Bitcoin bears to claim victory. Yes, there have been outflows out of the spot Bitcoin ETFs. And, yes, the Crypto Fear and Greed Index is now at 23 (out of a possible 100), highlighting just how fearful investors have become in just two months.
CRYPTO: BTC
Key Data Points
However, some of this fear is overblown. After all, the Trump White House recently announced the creation of a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve to hold the government's 200,000 Bitcoins. Right now, the Trump administration is not committing to any new Bitcoin buying, but has left open the door for future buying.
It's all contingent on finding a "budget-neutral" way to accumulate Bitcoin, such that taxpayer funds are not used. If this future buying ever materializes -- a big "if" in the current market environment -- the price of Bitcoin could skyrocket.
Solana
Next on my shopping list is Solana, which is down 35% for the year and nearly 60% from an all-time high of $294 on Jan. 20. Unfortunately, the bursting of the meme coin bubble in February brought down Solana with it. That's because Solana has become the premier blockchain for creating, launching, and trading meme coins. When President Donald Trump decided to launch a meme coin back in January, he chose Solana.
From my perspective, Solana remains the one Layer 1 blockchain network capable of toppling Ethereum from its top perch. Solana is faster, cheaper, and more efficient than Ethereum, and that has made it a very attractive platform for launching new blockchain projects that depend on speed and low costs. That's one big reason why Solana has been stealing market share away from Ethereum in decentralized finance (DeFi).
Solana has also captured the attention of high-profile investors such as Cathie Wood of Ark Invest, who has suggested that one day Solana could surpass Ethereum in terms of overall market cap. That would be huge, given that Ethereum is nearly four times bigger than Solana ($230 billion vs. $60 billion) right now.
Ondo
My final pick is Ondo. But fair warning here: Investing in Ondo is not for the faint of heart. That's because Ondo is down 40% for the year, and more than 60% since it hit an all-time high of $2 back in December. Yep, that's right. In its entire history, it has never traded higher than two bucks.
Image source: Getty Images.
So why am I interested? Well, Ondo has emerged as one of the key players in the area of real-world asset (RWA) tokenization. According to top consulting firms, this could be a multitrillion-dollar market opportunity by 2030. Right now, growth at Ondo is hitting on all cylinders, with total value locked (TVL) -- a key metric for measuring blockchain usage -- recently hitting the $1 billion mark.
But that's not the best part. The best part is that Ondo appears to have the support of some heavy hitters on Wall Street. Ondo is now a blockchain partner of BlackRock, the $10 trillion asset manager, which is highly supportive of the RWA tokenization trend. And Ondo is also a high-profile holding of World Liberty Financial, the Trump-affiliated crypto company.
Should you buy the dip?
Of these three cryptos, the safest choice is obviously Bitcoin. It is universally held by both retail and institutional investors, and is a prominent focus of Trump's crypto plan. From my perspective, the investors currently moving out of Bitcoin into gold are taking a short-sighted view of the market.
If you want to take on a little more risk, consider Solana. This is a high-octane crypto that soared more than 900% in 2023. By investing in Solana, you're essentially betting that Solana can one day take on Ethereum and win.
And, finally, if you enjoy jumping out of airplanes without a parachute, you might consider Ondo. Here, you're essentially betting that RWA tokenization is going to become "a thing" -- and that Ondo is going to become the best-in-class RWA coin. No guarantees, of course, but at an entry point of less than a buck, it could be worth a shot.
That being said, investing in crypto is always fraught with risk. So make sure you do your due diligence before investing in any crypto during the current bout of market volatility.
