Arthur Hayes has done it again. Just now, the BitMEX co-founder and Maelstrom CIO revealed he had sold his entire HYPE and NEAR positions. Why? Rising energy prices tied to tensions in Iran, looming AI IPOs that could drain market liquidity, and a belief that markets may peak sometime between now and September. His solution is to take profits and rotate into Bitcoin.
Fair enough, but the problem is that just four days earlier, Hayes was singing a different song. Just days ago, he posted “Meow — $HYPE to $150” alongside a cat meme while continuing to promote what he called his “holy trinity” of altcoins: HYPE, ZEC, and NEAR. He even made a $100,000 charity bet with Kyle Samani that Hyperliquid would outperform every top-10 cryptocurrency by year-end.
Then came the exit. There’s nothing wrong with taking profits. The issue is that this pattern has become familiar.
Back in September 2025, Hayes was also aggressively bullish on Hyperliquid, floating a potential 126x rally and repeatedly talking up the token before later selling millions of dollars worth. At the time, he famously admitted some of the proceeds went toward buying a Ferrari.
Eventually, he bought back in, renewed his bullish outlook, and resumed promoting the trade. Fast forward to 2026, and it’s the same script all over again, fresh price targets, fresh conviction, fresh narratives, and then another exit.
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Arthur Hayes vs. the Community
The community is on point. Arthur Hayes would buy a token that’s already moving, promote increasingly aggressive targets, then sell into the resulting momentum. Others questioned how someone could spend days discussing a $150 target only to liquidate an entire position almost immediately afterward.
Some Hyperliquid supporters defended Hayes’ right to trade however he wants. They’re correct. He’s under no obligation to hold forever, and nobody is forced to copy his trades.
Still, Hayes isn’t just another crypto influencer. He’s one of the industry’s most recognizable figures, a pioneer of crypto derivatives, and someone whose market commentary still carries weight. When he repeatedly builds bullish narratives around a token and then exits shortly afterward, people are naturally going to question him.
The frustration isn’t really about just this one trade. It’s becoming a pattern we’ve seen before across ETH, PEPE, ENA, HYPE, and other positions. Hayes’ wallets are public, so everyone can peek at them. But transparency alone doesn’t eliminate criticism when the same sh*t keeps repeating.
Hayes is expected to publish a longer essay explaining the decision, and perhaps his macro concerns will prove correct. Markets can change quickly, and prudent risk management is part of the game.
In all honesty, crypto doesn’t lack for bullish narratives. What it lacks is accountability when those narratives suddenly disappear the moment profits are on the table.
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