When screening arbitrage tokens on Gate.io, liquidity and fee stability are far more important than "high returns." It is recommended to prioritize as follows: Recommended Tier: Conservative Arbitrage Pools First Tier: BTC (BTC/USDT) Advantages: Best depth, most stable fees, minimal slippage. Although single-transaction fees are usually only 0.01%–0.02%, the risk of liquidation is the lowest, making it suitable for large funds as a "stabilizer." Operation: BTC perpetual contracts on Gate are settled every 8 hours, with long-term slightly positive fees, making it the safest trading pair for beginners. Second Tier: Mainstream Public Chains (SOL, BNB, XRP) SOL (SOL/USDT): Highly active on Gate, with fee fluctuations larger than ETH, often offering opportunities of 0.03%–0.05%, but watch out for basis risk caused by rapid price swings. BNB (BNB/USDT): As a platform token, it has ample liquidity on Gate and relatively moderate fees. XRP, DOGE: High retail participation, with fees prone to short-term premiums driven by sentiment, suitable for quick in-and-out trades. Third Tier: Layer 2 and Popular New Coins Targets: such as ARB, OP, STRK, etc. Logic: These tokens often have higher contract premiums during market rotations (fees can reach 0.05%+), but liquidity traps are obvious. Suitable for light positions when fees are significantly positive and order book depth is substantial. Selection Criteria: Three-step Target Lock-in Avoid blindly chasing high fees. Use the following standards to filter on Gate's contract market list: Liquidity Threshold: Prioritize tokens with 24h trading volume > 100 million USDT. Tokens with poor depth will have slippage that eats up all profits during hedging. Fee Thresholds: Conservative: Enter when fees are continuously ≥ 0.01% (covering transaction costs with slight profit). Aggressive: Avoid chasing transient fees > 0.1%, which usually indicate market euphoria peaks and can quickly reverse into negative fees. Price Spread Monitoring: Before opening a position, check the basis between the "Mark Price" and the "Index Price." If the basis > 0.5%, hedging costs are too high; it’s recommended to abandon the trade. Forbidden Tokens: Tokens to avoid at all costs Very small market cap tokens: such as various Meme coins or newly listed tokens on contracts. These tokens may have fees exceeding 0.5%, but liquidity is extremely poor. A large order can cause price spikes, leading to failed hedges or liquidation. Tokens with frequent negative fee flips: If a token’s funding rate jumps frequently between positive and negative, it indicates intense long-short battles and a hostile arbitrage environment. Advice: When practicing on Gate.io, start with BTC + ETH to establish a standard process. After familiarizing yourself with the 8-hour settlement rule, gradually expand to second-tier mainstream tokens like SOL. #Gate广场四月发帖挑战

I noticed an interesting pattern in the market — it looks like we are really entering that very alt season everyone has been talking about. And here’s why this could be the biggest one in crypto history. First, a bit of context. Alt season is when capital starts flowing massively from Bitcoin into altcoins. This used to happen in 2017 — Ethereum +13,000%, XRP +36,000% — and in 2021 — Solana +12,000%, BNB +1,300%. But now, the situation is fundamentally different. Why could 2025-2026 be critical? Several factors are converging at once. First, cyclically. After the 4-year bear market — 2022-2024 — we are in the period when historically alt season begins — usually 12-18 months after the halving — April 2024. BTC has already experienced a significant rise from the lows to the current $67K, and now the most interesting part begins. Bitcoin dominance has dropped from 64% to 59.5% — a clear signal that capital is starting to look for alternatives. Ethereum is already up +85% since the start of the year — current price $2.06K — Solana +120% — $80.83 — XRP jumped +210% — $1.32. These aren’t random spikes — this is the start of a real alt season. Macroeconomics also favors crypto. New regulations have created conditions for institutional entry — 144 public companies are already accumulating Bitcoin, spot BTC ETFs have absorbed $9.5 billion in a month. This attracts serious money, which then begins to rotate into alternative assets. What’s important: modern altcoins are not copies of Bitcoin like in 2017. They are entire ecosystems. Ethereum leads in DeFi, Solana shows TVL at billions, XRP gained legal clarity after the SEC dispute. TON is integrated with Telegram — 67k users. The alt season index is already at 53 points and growing. The potential market cap of altcoins is $1.1 trillion compared to the current billions. That’s nearly 60% growth. But here’s the catch: we are at the intersection of phases. The Bitcoin phase has passed. The Ethereum phase is underway. Major altcoins — SOL at $80.83, BNB at $593.50 — are already hitting new highs. Ahead is the altcoin mania phase — when small and medium projects grow rapidly. Looking at sectors: AI crypto has shown +2939% since the start of the year, meme coins +1313%. This isn’t speculation — it’s capital rotation that’s just beginning. Of course, there are risks. Regulatory changes, volatility, not all altcoins will survive. But the fundamentals for the alt season are stronger than ever. Institutions are entering, legislation is favorable, cycles are perfectly aligned. As they say in the crypto community: Bitcoin sets the trend, altcoins make fortunes. It looks like the time has come.