Does Cardano Have a Future?
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Nov 09 2025
0mins
Source: NASDAQ.COM
Current Status of Cardano: Cardano has seen a significant decline, down 30% this year and over 80% from its all-time high, with limited investor interest in new spot ETFs and minimal institutional fund flows compared to competitors like Bitcoin and Ethereum.
Comparison with Competitors: Cardano is often referred to as a "ghost chain" due to its low activity levels in terms of users, projects, and transactions, especially when compared to Ethereum, which dominates the Total Value Locked (TVL) metric in the blockchain space.
Future Prospects: Despite having a strong developer network and a $20 billion market cap, Cardano's lack of engagement with emerging blockchain innovations raises concerns about its future growth potential, with analysts suggesting it may only double in value to $1 in the next two years.
Investment Recommendations: The Motley Fool's Stock Advisor has identified other stocks as better investment opportunities, indicating that Cardano is not currently seen as a promising option for investors looking for significant returns.
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Analyst Views on BLK
Wall Street analysts forecast BLK stock price to rise
10 Analyst Rating
8 Buy
2 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 974.580
Low
1209
Averages
1354
High
1550
Current: 974.580
Low
1209
Averages
1354
High
1550
About BLK
BlackRock, Inc. is an investment management company. The Company provides a range of investment management and technology services to institutional and retail clients. Its diverse platform of alpha-seeking active, private markets, index and cash management investment strategies across asset classes enables the Company to tailor investment outcomes and asset allocation solutions for clients. Its product offerings include single- and multi-asset portfolios investing in equities, fixed income, alternatives, and money market instruments. Its products are offered directly and through intermediaries in a range of vehicles, including open-end and closed-end mutual funds, iShares exchange-traded funds, separate accounts, collective investment funds and other pooled investment vehicles. It also offers technology services, including the investment and risk management technology platform, Aladdin, Aladdin Wealth, eFront, and Cachematrix, as well as advisory services and solutions.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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- Market Potential and Challenges: The tokenized asset market, excluding stablecoins, is projected to grow from $33 billion today to $4 trillion by 2035; while Ethereum faces issues with network congestion and transaction fees, Solana must overcome its historical technical outages, giving both a chance to capture growth in this expanding market.
- Risk and Reward Trade-off: Although Solana's market cap of about $50 billion offers more room for growth compared to Ethereum's $250 billion, its past technical instability makes it a riskier investment, requiring investors to assess their risk tolerance when choosing between the two.
See More
Ethereum and Solana's Tokenization Opportunities
- Market Share Growth: Solana's decentralized finance market share has surged from less than 1% at the beginning of 2023 to about 7%, indicating its growing appeal in the competitive crypto landscape, which may attract more investor interest.
- Ethereum's Dominance: Ethereum currently holds approximately 60% of the tokenized asset market with a total value locked (TVL) of $56 billion, underscoring its central role in blockchain asset management, despite challenges related to transaction speed and fees.
- Transaction Processing Comparison: Solana has demonstrated the ability to handle over 100,000 transactions per second (TPS) in tests, while Ethereum's TPS ranges from 15 to 30, with transaction fees between $0.10 and $0.30, highlighting Solana's advantages in cost-effectiveness and processing speed, which may attract traditional financial institutions.
- Future Growth Potential: The market for tokenized assets, excluding stablecoins, is projected to grow from $33 billion today to as much as $4 trillion by 2035, indicating that both Ethereum and Solana have opportunities to capture a share of this rapidly expanding market.
See More
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- Historical Performance Analysis: According to a report by BlackRock, Bitcoin outperformed gold in four out of six major geopolitical crises from 2020 to 2025 within the first 10 days, and in all cases after 60 days, indicating its resilience during crises.
- Market Reaction: Bitcoin's current performance aligns with historical trends, as seen after the U.S.-Iran tensions in 2020, where Bitcoin surged 26% in 60 days while gold only increased by 7%, providing investors confidence that Bitcoin may again outperform gold.
- Portfolio Diversification: While gold remains the traditional safe asset, Bitcoin's digital nature, tradability, and 24/7 liquidity are increasingly appealing to hedge fund managers, especially as oil prices could soar to $150, suggesting investors should consider including it in their portfolios.
See More
Bitcoin Bounces Back Amid Middle East Crisis
- Price Fluctuation Analysis: Bitcoin dropped over 45% from October 2025 to March 2026, falling from a high of $126,000 to $65,000, indicating its volatility in traditional cycles; however, it has recently rebounded to around $69,000 due to escalating tensions in the Middle East, gaining 5%.
- Safe-Haven Asset Performance: Historically, Bitcoin has outperformed gold during geopolitical crises, notably rising 26% in the 60 days following the U.S.-Iran conflict in 2020, while gold only increased by 7%, reinforcing its status as a potential safe asset.
- Oil Price Impact: With oil prices hovering around $100 per barrel and potentially soaring to $150, Bitcoin's value has remained stable, demonstrating its ability as a store-of-value asset amid increasing global economic uncertainty.
- Investor Confidence: Although Bitcoin may not be the top choice for investors, its digital nature, tradability, and 24/7 accessibility provide unique advantages as a safe asset, attracting hedge fund managers' interest, especially with the prospect of rising oil prices.
See More
Private Credit Markets Face Liquidity Test Amid Rising Defaults
- Liquidity Pressure Intensifies: Ares Management has capped investor redemptions in its $10.7 billion private credit fund at 5% after withdrawal requests surged to 11.6%, reflecting growing concerns over credit quality that could further undermine investor confidence in the sector.
- Default Rate Warning: Morgan Stanley warns that default rates in private credit direct lending could spike to 8%, significantly above the historical average of 2-2.5%, which would have a major impact on sectors heavily reliant on high leverage, particularly in software.
- Market Reset Signal: While rising default rates may cause pain for some funds, industry experts believe this could lead to better underwriting practices and more realistic valuations, ultimately freeing up capital for stronger businesses and promoting a healthy reset in the market.
- Concentrated Risk Areas: The software sector accounts for approximately 26% of direct lending, and as fears of AI disruption grow, attention has shifted to this area, with some smaller issuers experiencing default rates as high as 10.9%, highlighting the vulnerability of highly leveraged borrowers.
See More
Vanguard's Brokerage Division Launches Crypto ETFs Despite Poor Performance.
Bogle's Investment Philosophy: John Bogle, the founder of Vanguard, emphasized the importance of low-cost index investing and long-term strategies over active trading.
Market Trends and Predictions: Bogle would likely caution against market speculation and encourage investors to focus on fundamentals and the overall economic environment.
Impact of Fees on Returns: He consistently highlighted how high fees can erode investment returns, advocating for transparency and cost-effectiveness in investment products.
Investor Behavior and Discipline: Bogle believed in the necessity of investor discipline, urging individuals to stay the course during market volatility and avoid emotional decision-making.
See More
