It’s not even Summer yet. We’re a week or so away – I never remember the exact date and it seems to change each year anyway, so let’s just say “a week or so” – and, if the activity in a few sub-genres of Bitcoin, the Blockchain, and Cryptocurrencies are any indication…

It’s going to be a Summer of Crypto.

Since we need to do a list to make this go viral, but we also want to get outside and enjoy the weather, let us give you three things you need to know…

3 Ways to Make it a Summer of Crypto

1. Follow the (ICO) (Token Launch) Money

Alan Greenspan would have called this market “frothy.” ICOs – “Initial Coin Offerings,” a/k/a “token launches” – have all of the excitement of the dot-com era IPO days, with none of the cocktail-napkin business plans.

Instead, business plans are replaced by teams of coders, programmers, and marketers taking advantage of the fact that ICOs don’t really need investment banks to get companies access to capital.

Yesterday’s ICO for Bancor set records: the equivalent of $150-plus million collected in record time (three hours) for a business that is in the process of launching, but isn’t fully there yet. No matter, VCs, iBanks, heck…anyone with a few (hundred) Ethereum tokens was all-in.

It’s actually a business that has a good chunk going for it; and it’s no surprise that their ICO was successful and that they seemed to be poised for success. Note that the

How to potentially profit?

Watch for new ICOs or their equivalent that – like Bancor – have an interesting story to tell, and a management team behind it with business success.

We especially like CivicKey – Vinny Lingham is one of the Influencers we have had our eye on, and his token launch aims to solve a real problem – managing and verifying online identities.

2. Hedge Your Bets on the Big Boys

Again, we’re not providing trading advice or investment advice; what we do suggest is that you keep tabs on the big players.

Ethereum hit $400 yesterday, then pulled back, now is back in the $350-375 level. It could be volatile – but it also could have more eyes on it and more money thrown its way since the Ethereum protocol/Ether token is used as the backbone for so many token launches.

And then there’s Bitcoin, which has still more than doubled YTD.

This reminds us – if you haven’t yet gone to Coinbase, go do that, use our AFFILIATE LINK, and get some crypto. Bitcoin. Ethereum. Litecoin. Make it happen. (You get a bonus with a qualifying purchase, and so do we, so it’s a win-win.)

How to potentially profit?

Gosh, people, you could just use the BRED Portfolio we’ve been tracking. It’s on fire – and the four coins don’t necessarily move in lockstep, serving as a bit of a hedge against market volatility.

Sortof. Be prepared for “BUBBLE” talk all summer, too. And don’t invest more than you are prepared to lose.

3. Be on the Lookout for Altcoins

“Altcoins” are those non-Bitcoin coins. (We used “coin” three times in that sentence.) Some have tiny market caps – heard of Ripto Bux? It’s been on our radar and currently trades in the 200-400 Satoshi range; market cap of $2 million or so – and others are meandering near the top 20, poised for a panther-like jump into the stratosphere.

OR poised to stay at a low level and not make much noise.

OR…

How to potentially profit?

We’ve shared plenty of ideas here. Plenty. We invite you to do your research and look at these coins and tokens, see if they are used in the wild, and see if there’s a reason for being. Are they solving a problem? Is there a good business case?

We can’t stress enough: do your research. If you want to take a flyer on the potential of a small altcoin with a tiny market cap, fine. Don’t be surprised if your risk capital goes down the toilet.

And even if you’re taking a chance on something in the $500-million market cap range, THAT COULD FIZZLE, TOO.

There they are: 3 Ways.

Get ready. For the #summerofcrypto.