Yes, we’re all incredibly excited about Bitcoin’s performance this week.

When it comes to the crypto market, there’s no denying that Bitcoin is the star of the show.

But there are no small parts, only small actors. And are there members of this ensemble cast that could outshine Bitcoin?

And there may be two coins poised to do exactly that. Could Solana or Chainlink race to the front of our next bull market?

Espresso Shots

☕️ FTX Moves $8.6 Million in Crypto

$8.6 million in various cryptocurrencies was moved from accounts at FTX and Alameda to Binance.

The transfer contained $3.5 million in Ethereum, $2.2 million in Chainlink (LINK), $2 million in Maker (MKR), and $1 million in Aave (AAVE), based on a report from blockchain analytics firm, Nansen.

This transfer by FTX’s estate could be preparation for a coming sale, as the estate received permission last September to begin selling off its crypto holdings.

The FTX estate also recently staked 5.5 million Solana (SOL), worth an estimated $122 million.

As the FTX estate returns to power, its hallowed grounds will once again be open to guests, who can stroll the surrounding forests, sip Chateau De Alameda, and engage in the estate’s oldest tradition: hunting man for sport.

☕️ BlockFi Back in Action?

BlockFi, an exchange that filed for bankruptcy and paused withdrawals last November due to FTX contagion, has reemerged with a plan to repay its customers.

A big component of that plan will be recovering assets from FTX, Alameda, and Three Arrows Capital, three problematic firms to which BlockFi had several billion in exposure.

“We are aiming to begin initial distributions in early 2024. Any subsequent distributions will be dependent on many factors, including most notably any recoveries from FTX and its affiliates,” read the official announcement of BlockFi’s bankruptcy plan.

It’s always heartening when a player reemerges from obscurity with a can-do attitude, like when Ben Affleck came out of rehab in 2015 with a massive phoenix tattoo and a six-year plan to win back Jennifer Lopez.

☕️ Leaving Your Friends for New Bitcoin City

While crypto’s having a boom week, it appears that Friend.tech is already losing steam.

Friend.tech saw millions in outflow this week as users departed the platform for greener pastures, with $5.81 million and $3.21 million lost on October 23 and 25, respectively.

And many of the top keys, previously called shares, that users own are rapidly diminishing in value.

Where’s everybody headed? To New Bitcoin City, a platform that bills itself as the “Friend.tech of Bitcoin”.

As users depart Friend.tech to crowd New Bitcoin City, we may be seeing our first instance of De-Gen, also known as Decentralized Gentrification.

Polled Brew

Spilling the Beans

The Two Coins Poised for a Bull Run 🐂 😉

As Winston Churchill famously said: “Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.”

And unfortunately, a similar line of thinking has hit Bitcoin, and the rest of crypto.

It sometimes feels like the discussion is Bitcoin… and then all that other crypto.

In fact, altcoins, which sounds like it should imply fringe crypto with featured performances from the Arctic Monkeys or Neutral Milk Hotel, is a blanket term that applies to every cryptocurrency that isn’t Bitcoin.

And yes, we’re thrilled with Bitcoin’s recent performance, but those dutiful altcoins have been overshadowed by Bitcoin for too long.

And what if some of those altcoins were actually positioned to outperform Bitcoin?

Now, we’ve got your attention. The two altcoins in question are the heavy hitters: Solana and Chainlink.

Solana’s native token is (SOL), and Chainlink (LINK) offers an ERC-20 token built on the Ethereum blockchain.

And while everyone’s been busy praising Bitcoin. These two coins have been seriously climbing.

If you’d purchased SOL back in the deepest dip of crypto winter. You would have literally tripled your investment.

Solana was once dubbed the Ethereum Killer for its lightning-fast transaction speeds and network scalability.

That enthusiasm has waned, but Solana’s repeated prioritization of smart contract functionality and renewed optimism in the crypto market may have created the perfect conditions for SOL to keep climbing.

Now consider Chainlink, just in the past month:

That’s not just a spike. If that was your EKG machine, every free hand in the hospital would be rushing to your bedside.

And you’re probably wondering what’s driving Chainlink’s rise.

Chainlink, as its name implies, has spread through crypto, linking networkers into an ever-growing web of providers, both on-chain and off.

Chainlink’s inclusivity has also attracted a fair number of dApp developers, and quickly established Chainlink as an industry leader.

Chainlink’s wild run into the early days of crypto spring may finally be the result of some well-deserved confidence and recognition.

Now, when you see gains like this, it’s easy to feel like you already missed out.

Don’t despair, let’s glean some wisdom from Bluntz’s post.

No, you can’t just wait around for the next Solana or Chainlink, luck out, and buy it at a low.

What you can do is carefully watch Solana and Chainlink’s progression, and buy the next dip before the inevitable surge.

Now, we know that this is starting to sound quite a bit like we’re telling you where to invest, and this is one of those times when we’d like to remind you that the contents of this newsletter do not constitute financial advice.

We’re just talking. This is supposed to be fun, formative, and educational.

However, if you are interested in getting some actionable, hard-hitting financial guidance and money-making plays you can use every week, we strongly recommend subscribing to Coffee & Crypto: Premium Roast.

It’s sort of the Bitcoin of crypto newsletters.

And yes, Bitcoin is still King Crypto, but to neglect powerful, potential alternatives for a Bitcoin-focused portfolio, would be to your detriment..

Bitcoin’s that top-dollar, Filet or New-York-Strip entree at every restaurant.

But if you spend your life mindlessly smashing that steak button, you’re going to miss out on that delicately crafted gastro-burger or the freshly caught swordfish languishing further down on the menu.

With Solana and Chainlink, you could acquire an asset that could quite possibly outperform Bitcoin’s percentages, at a fraction of the cost.

Even if you feel like it’s too late, the opportunity’s still there, and it’s not one you want to miss out on.

Don’t end up some washed-up, union-busting prize fighter who has to tell their children they didn’t buy those altcoins before the next bull run.

“You don't understand. I coulda had class. I coulda been a coin-tender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am, let's face it.”

Crypto 101

Aave (AAVE): The native token of the Aave platform, an open-source liquidity pool that allows investors to borrow and stake a variety of crypto.

As of writing, AAVE is currently ranked 39th of the top DeFi tokens.

The Last Sip

The Last Sip: On the subject of Ben Affleck’s back tattoo, when that bad boy was first photographed in 2015, Affleck claimed it was fake and for a role. But he was… coming out of the ocean. And if that massive, sprawling phoenix tattoo was for a role, then we’re all still waiting on “The Dunkin’ Donuts Beyond the Pines.”

Stay Caffeinated,

Coffee & Crypto Team

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DISCLAIMER: None of this is financial advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. Please be careful and do your own research.