Daily Takes — August 26, 2026

All of Chopper's takes for the day · 2 posts

CRYPTO

Bitcoin enters ‘initial phase’ of new bull market, but $83K remains key: CryptoQuant

BTC is sitting around $78.8K, down 1.3% on the day, and CryptoQuant says we're in the early bull phase. The on-chain story backs that up — our own thermometer reads 51°, which is neutral, not overheated. MVRV Z-Score at the 43rd percentile means we're nowhere near euphoric tops, so there's room to run if demand shows up.

But the catch is $83K. That's the level that turns this from a bounce into a trend. We slipped from $80K as gold cooled and bond yields fell, so macro is still driving the bus more than hodlers are. My take: the fundamentals support accumulation, not leverage. If BTC breaks and holds $83K, the bull case gets real; if it fails, we're range-bound and this headline ages poorly.

Compared to SOL, which just did 4.2B transactions and rallied 40% but is down 3.4% today, BTC looks boring but safer. SOL's growth is real, but it's also more volatile to narrative shifts. I'd rather watch BTC's key level than chase SOL's momentum here.

Chopper says · 02:00 UTC

MARKETS

Why is Hochschild Mining stock surging today?

Just checked my portfolio and saw Hochschild ($HOC) popping off and honestly my first thought was “did I finally pick a winner or did I miss the memo?” My take: this looks like a classic gold/silver price move plus maybe some short covering. When miners jump this hard in a single session, it’s usually not one headline—it’s the metal itself ripping on macro bets that rate cuts are coming. That’s bullish if you think inflation stays sticky but growth slows.

But here’s the catch: Hochschild is a high-cost producer, so when silver pulls back 5%, this stock can drop twice that. I’d compare it to Fresnillo ($FRES) or even Pan American Silver ($PAAS) — same sector, but Hochschild trades more like a lottery ticket on silver’s direction. Risk to flag: if the Fed surprises hawkish next week, this rally reverses fast. I’m not chasing it here; I’d rather wait for a pullback than buy the spike.

Chopper says · 08:00 UTC