STAGE 1

Macro Liquidity

STABLE · GATE STEADY

Is money getting cheaper or dearer?

Flat · 4w
NFCI leverage · 4-week change
looseravgtighter

Financial conditions are looser than average — the tide upstream of every risk asset is rising.

Passes downstream: A liquidity impulse that historically reaches Bitcoin with a ~13-week lag.

Details — readings, definitions, sources
STAGE 2

Risk Appetite

RISK-OFF · GATE CLOSED

Is anyone willing to spend that money on risk?

Elevated
VIX volatility regime
calmavgstress

Volatility markets are nervous — investors are pulling back from risk.

Passes downstream: Permission. Loose money without risk appetite stays parked in T-bills.

Details — readings, definitions, sources
NFCIRISKTightening · 4w
VIXElevated
STAGE 3

Crypto-Native Liquidity

TIGHTENING · GATE CLOSED

Is money actually arriving at crypto’s door?

Contracting · 7d
Stablecoin float · 7-day change
growingflatdraining

Stablecoin float is shrinking — dry powder inside the asset class is draining.

Passes downstream: The fuel. Nothing in crypto rallies for long without stablecoin float growth.

Details — readings, definitions, sources
STAGE 4

Bitcoin, the Entry Point

SUPPORTIVE · GATE OPEN

Do macro conditions support a bid for Bitcoin?

$78,474
BTC spot · 1d +0.3%
restrictivemixedsupportive

Bitcoin is the door new capital walks through first. US financial conditions are not restrictive, and Bitcoin is trading as a macro risk asset — with equities, inverse to the dollar.

Passes downstream: The tide. Altcoins almost never rally against a falling Bitcoin.

Details — readings, definitions, sources
NFCILoose
ANFCISupportive
BTC-SPXcorr positive
BTC-DXYcorr negative
Conviction ●●●○ — held one level below full whenever the earlier stages disagree.
STAGE 5

Rotation Down the Risk Curve

DISTRIBUTING · GATE CLOSED

Is capital moving from Bitcoin into ETH and alts?

0/4
Rotation · asset groups (past 7 days)
into BTCneutralinto alts

Capital is retreating up the risk curve into Bitcoin. Rotation is not underway.

Passes downstream: The last gate. When it opens with the others, that is altseason.

Details — readings, definitions, sources
0/4accumulating
3/4distributing
MAJORS NEUTRAL
BTC, ETH — rotation flowing out
AssetSpot1d7d
BTC$78,474+0.3%-2.1%
ETH$2,291+0.8%-1.3%
LARGE-CAPS DISTRIBUTING
SOL, BNB, XRP — rotation flowing out
AssetSpot1d7d
SOL$95.18+0.8%-5.5%
BNB$713.53+0.2%-3.8%
XRP$1.257+0.7%-3.8%
ADA$0.1945+0.9%-5.7%
DOGE$0.0760+1.0%-2.1%
AVAX$8.716+0.3%-2.7%
ALTS DISTRIBUTING
POL, LTC, SHIB — rotation flowing out
AssetSpot1d7d
POL$0.0907-0.5%-0.5%
LTC$55.93+0.4%-1.4%
SHIB$0.000005+0.4%-3.4%
ATOM$1.466-0.3%-10.4%
UNI$7.258+0.7%+1.6%
ICP$2.538+0.3%-3.4%
STABLES DISTRIBUTING
USDT, USDC, DAI — rotation flowing out
CoinSupply1d7d
USDT$180.1B-0.2%-1.4%
USDC$71.6B-0.1%-0.0%
DAI$4.6B+0.4%+0.4%
PYUSD$2.9B+0.6%-6.1%
FDUSD$300.4M-0.0%-1.4%
OUTPUT

Why the gauge reads 42/100

CASCADE BLOCKED

Stage 1 and Stage 4 are open; Stage 2, Stage 3, and Stage 5 closed. The cascade is blocked, so the model reads 42/100, with capital in btc and eth. The reading changes when the triggers below trip.

▲ What would raise this reading

  • Macro 1/3 supportive (supportive: NFCI) — remaining non-supportive signals (DTWEXBGS, DFII10) all flipping supportive would strengthen the macro leg.
  • BTC.D currently 60.00% (8-wk MA 60.71%, -1.40% over 4 weeks) — sustained decline toward pre-altseason sub-50% zone would entrench the dominance leg, already at its strongest.
  • ETH/BTC currently 0.029061 (8-wk MA 0.030410, -8.34% over 4 weeks) — close above 8-wk MA OR flip to positive 4-wk change would strengthen the ETH-leadership leg.
  • Stablecoin total $300.1B (-2.80% over 4 weeks) — flip to positive 4-wk change would strengthen the stablecoin leg.
  • Funding (Bybit perps): ETH +0.0005%, SOL +0.0100%; 8/8 basket positive; alt mcap 24h not rising — ETH AND SOL positive, ≥ 4/5 secondaries positive, AND alt mcap confirmation rising 24h would strengthen the funding leg.
  • Top-100 breadth: 36/95 alts (37.9%) outperformed BTC over 90d (BTC +22.65%) — share outperforming BTC crossing 50% would strengthen the breadth leg.

▼ What would lower this reading

  • Macro 1/3 supportive (supportive: NFCI) — supportive signal(s) (NFCI) flipping hostile would weaken the macro leg.
  • BTC.D currently 60.00% (8-wk MA 60.71%, -1.40% over 4 weeks) — recovery above 8-wk MA OR flip to positive 4-wk change would weaken the dominance leg.
  • ETH/BTC currently 0.029061 (8-wk MA 0.030410, -8.34% over 4 weeks) — drop below 0.028 support would confirm deeper ETH weakness, entrenching the ETH-leadership leg at its weakest.
  • Stablecoin total $300.1B (-2.80% over 4 weeks) — deeper contraction (4-wk change more negative) would entrench the stablecoin leg, already at its weakest.
  • Funding (Bybit perps): ETH +0.0005%, SOL +0.0100%; 8/8 basket positive; alt mcap 24h not rising — ETH AND SOL both flipping negative with ≥ 2 secondaries following would weaken the funding leg.
  • Top-100 breadth: 36/95 alts (37.9%) outperformed BTC over 90d (BTC +22.65%) — share outperforming BTC falling back below 25% would weaken the breadth leg.

Educational and decision-support content only. Not financial, investment, or trading advice. Full disclaimer.