Altcoin Season is Here — Ride the Wave with Options on 80+ Coins! | by Federico | The Capital | May, 2025

Is your portfolio ready for the altcoin explosion? Crypto markets are flashing all the classic altseason signals — Bitcoin’s dominance is teetering and money is rotating into altcoins en masse. Analysts note that when BTC’s dominance breaks its uptrend, it often marks the beginning of “altcoin season.” In fact, all signs suggest we’re on the cusp of that transition right now in 2025. That means dozens of altcoins (from majors like Ethereum and Solana to meme coins and low-cap gems) are primed to skyrocket. But don’t just buy and HODL — savvy traders are seizing this moment with options trading as their secret weapon. Why? Because options let you supercharge your gains with far less capital at risk. It’s the capital-efficient way to ride the altcoin wave without risking it all on volatile spot positions.

During an altcoin bull phase, options give you the biggest bang for your buck. Here’s why intermediate traders are flocking to options over spot or futures in this environment:

• High Leverage, Low Capital: Options let you capture outsized gains from price swings without tying up large capital. A small premium (often just a few percent of the coin’s price) controls a much larger position. If an altcoin “moons” 100%, your call option could pay many times that because you only paid a fraction upfront. In other words, options can multiply your gains compared to holding coins directly. This high leverage on volatility is a game-changer for profiting off big moves.
• Limited Risk — No Liquidations: With options, the most you can lose is the premium you paid (your upfront cost). There are no margin calls or liquidations to worry about. If your trade doesn’t pan out, the option simply expires worthless and you lose only that small premium — nothing more. This predefined risk means you can weather wild swings without the nightmare of getting liquidated in a flash crash. It’s a huge safety net in unpredictable markets.
• “Set and Forget” Convenience: Unlike futures, options don’t require managing collateral or paying funding fees over time. You pay your premium and you’re done — no ongoing margin maintenance. Your max loss is fixed upfront, so you won’t get stopped out due to intraday whipsaws. For anyone who can’t monitor the market 24/7 (which is basically everyone), options offer a more forgiving way to ride an altcoin’s trend.
• Profit in Any Market (Bull, Bear, or Sideways): Perhaps the coolest part — options let you profit whether prices go up, down, or sideways. By mixing calls, puts, or both, you can craft strategies that win in any scenario. Expecting a massive move but not sure which direction? There’s an option strategy for that (we’ll cover straddles/strangles shortly). Want to earn passive income if prices stall out? There’s a strategy for that too (hello, covered calls). This flexibility is impossible with regular spot trading and is a key reason options trading volume has exploded recently — altcoin options volume jumped over 1500× in 2024 alone as traders caught on!

In short, options turn volatility from an enemy into an ally. Big price swings = big opportunities if you have the right toolkit. Next, let’s break down that toolkit — the must-know options strategies — and how to use each one in bull, bear, or volatile conditions.

Even if you’re an intermediate crypto trader, a quick refresher on key options strategies will help you make the most of altcoin season. Below is a hype-filled cheat sheet of the power strategies (and when to use them) that can supercharge your altcoin trades:

When you’re bullish on an altcoin, buying a call option is like strapping a rocket to your trade. A call option gives you the right (but not obligation) to buy the coin at a set price (strike) before a certain date. You pay a premium upfront for this right. If the coin’s price surges, your call option’s value can explode — often delivering multiples of the return you’d get from holding the coin itself. For example, say a major protocol upgrade is coming for Arbitrum (ARB). Rather than spending $1,000 to buy 1,000 ARB tokens, an intermediate trader might spend a fraction of that on ARB call options. If ARB’s price jumps on the news, those calls let you capture the upside without tying up a ton of capital. And if ARB doesn’t take off? You lose only the premium, not your whole $1,000 stake. Use calls in a bull market or whenever you have high conviction an altcoin is about to pump. They are the de facto strategy for riding an upward wave with limited downside. As one insider put it, “if an altcoin moons 100%, your option could pay many times that” — that’s the kind of leverage calls offer in altseason.

Puts are the flip side of calls. Buying a put option gives you the right to sell a coin at a set price, which makes it a powerful play if you expect prices to drop or want to hedge against a crash. Essentially, a long put is like buying insurance on your portfolio. Example: Imagine you’re holding a bag of Dogecoin that’s up big after a meme-fueled rally, but you’re nervous the hype could fade. You can buy a DOGE put option near the current price. If Dogecoin plummets, your put option will soar in value, offsetting the losses on your holdings. If DOGE keeps climbing instead, you lose only the small premium you paid for the put — just like paying an insurance premium for peace of mind. In a bear market or when you smell a potential rug-pull, puts let you profit from the downside. For traders, they’re also great for hedging: during altseason, you might have huge unrealized gains on altcoins — buying puts can lock in a floor price so that if the market turns, you don’t give it all back. Use puts in bearish scenarios or as protection in volatile times when you want to stay in the game but limit your downside risk.

Have some altcoins you plan to HODL no matter what? Turn them into passive income machines with covered calls. In a covered call, you sell call options against coins you already hold (covering your position). You collect premiums upfront from the buyer. If the coin stays below the strike through expiration, those premiums are free money in your pocket. If the coin’s price exceeds the strike, you’ll have to sell your coins at that price — but since you already own them and the strike is above your original cost, you’re selling at a profit anyway. It’s a win-win scenario (the only “risk” is you cap your upside if the coin moons well past the strike). Covered calls shine in sideways or modestly bullish markets. For instance, say you hold 1000 Solana (SOL) long-term. SOL is trading at $100 and you think it will drift around this level or rise slowly. You could sell call options at a strike of $120. If SOL stays under $120 until expiration, you keep all the premium (profit!) and still have your SOL. If SOL runs to $130, you’d sell your SOL at $120 (your strike) — effectively selling high, and you still keep the premium too. Many intermediate traders use covered calls to generate yield on their bags during periods of consolidation. It’s an income strategy: you’re getting paid to potentially sell your coins at a higher price. In altcoin season, if there’s a project you love long-term but think it might cool off near-term, covered calls can bank you steady gains while you hodl.

This strategy flips the covered call on its head. With a cash-secured put, you sell put options and set aside enough cash to buy the underlying coin if it hits the strike price. Why do this? Because it’s a clever way to get paid to buy an asset you wanted to buy anyway! You receive the premium upfront for selling the put, which is yours to keep no matter what. If the coin’s price stays above the strike by expiration, the put expires worthless and you pocket the premium as pure profit. If the coin’s price falls below the strike, you’ll be “assigned” and use your reserved cash to buy the coin at the strike price (which you were willing to do), minus the premium you earned. In effect, you end up buying the coin at an even bigger discount. This strategy is considered bullish because you’re happy to own the coin — you just get paid to wait for a better entry. For example, suppose Polkadot (DOT) is $6, and you’re willing to accumulate more if it drops to $5. You could sell a $5 put on DOT and collect premium. If DOT never drops to $5, awesome — free money (premium earned) and you can repeat the strategy. If DOT does drop to $5 or below, you’ll buy it at $5 (even if market is slightly lower) but effectively your cost is $5 minus the premium you got, so maybe $4.50 net. Use cash-secured puts in bull or neutral scenarios — when you wouldn’t mind owning more of a coin at a lower price. It’s a favorite of risk-conscious traders because it generates income and only acquires the asset at a “discount.” As one guide explains, “a cash-secured put allows traders to potentially acquire an asset at a lower price while generating premium income upfront”. In choppy markets, it’s a lucrative way to buy the dip on your terms.

Spreads are the bread-and-butter of advanced options trading, but they’re surprisingly straightforward. An options spread involves buying one option and selling another option of the same type (calls or puts) on the same coin, with different strikes or expiries. The goal is usually to reduce cost or risk compared to a single outright option. The most common are vertical spreads (same expiration, different strikes). Here are two popular ones:

• Bull Call Spread: A bullish strategy where you buy a call at a lower strike and sell a call at a higher strike. Because you’re selling one call, the premium you pay is reduced — making this trade cheaper than buying a naked call. The trade-off? Your upside is capped at the higher strike. This is perfect if you expect the coin to rise, but not explode past a certain point. For example, if Cardano (ADA) is $0.30 and you believe it will go to $0.40, you might buy a $0.30 call and sell a $0.40 call. If ADA indeed rises to $0.40+, you’ll profit up to that cap; if it goes higher, you won’t gain beyond $0.40 (but hey, you still nailed the move). Use in bull scenarios where you want to limit cost. A bull call spread limits both potential gains and losses — it’s a more conservative way to bet on the upside.
• Bear Put Spread: The bearish counterpart, where you buy a put at a higher strike and sell a put at a lower strike. This reduces the cost of your bearish bet (thanks to the premium received from selling the lower put) while capping the maximum payoff. For instance, if Binance Coin (BNB) is $350 and you expect it to dip to ~$300, you could buy a $350 put and sell a $300 put. If BNB falls to $300 or below, you profit up to that point; if it crashes even further, you won’t make additional gains beyond $300 (but your trade cost was lower than buying a standalone put). Use in bear scenarios for a cost-effective hedge or short bet. Like the bull spread, a bear put spread gives a balanced risk/reward — limiting both potential gains and losses.

Spreads come in many flavors (bull put spreads, iron condors, butterflies, etc.), but the key takeaway is risk management. You’re trading a bit of your uncapped upside in exchange for reducing cost or locking in a max loss. In volatile altcoin markets, spreads let you target a price range and define your risk clearly. Many PowerTrade users love spreads — in fact, the platform even has a one-click Strategy Builder to set up common spreads like these instantly.

If you’re expecting fireworks but don’t know which way the spark will fly, long straddles are your best friend. A straddle involves buying a call and a put at the same strike price (and expiration) on the same coin. This dual-position essentially says: “I don’t care which direction this coin moves, I just think it’s going to move a lot.” You make money if the coin either moons or tanks significantly; if it stays relatively stable, you lose the premiums. Straddles are great around major news events, announcements, or any catalyst that could send an altcoin flying or crashing. For example, suppose a hot DeFi project has a big upgrade or partnership reveal coming. The coin could skyrocket on success or plummet if it disappoints. By buying both a call and put, a straddle sets you up to win big no matter the outcome — one of the options will pay off handsomely if the move is large enough. Your risk is limited to the premiums paid for both options (which can be a bit pricey if volatility is already anticipated). In a volatile market scenario or when uncertainty is high, straddles turn uncertainty into opportunity. Many intermediate traders use straddles during earnings reports in stocks; in crypto, use them for things like mainnet launches, token unlocks, or regulatory announcements affecting a coin. As long as the coin makes a major move in either direction, you’re golden. If it doesn’t move much, you lose both premiums — a fair trade-off for the chance at a big payout if the coin swings hard.

A long strangle is a close cousin of the straddle with one key difference: you buy an out-of-the-money call and put (i.e. different strikes, both slightly out of the money) instead of at-the-money options. This makes the strangle cheaper than a straddle (since OTM options cost less premium), but it usually needs a larger move to hit payoff territory. Think of it as placing your bets a bit further out on the roulette wheel. Strangles are useful when you expect a big move but maybe have a guess on direction or just want to lower cost. For example, if DOGE is at $0.15, a straddle might be buying the $0.15 call and $0.15 put. A strangle might be buying a $0.18 call and a $0.12 put — both out-of-the-money. If DOGE swings 30–50% up or down (not unheard of for the meme king!), one of those options will explode in value. Traders often use strangles around events like exchange listings or macro news where they expect a big impact but are unsure of direction. It’s a bit more speculative than a straddle — you need a significant move beyond those strike levels to profit, but you pay less premium upfront. In practice, strangles can yield massive returns if an altcoin has a huge breakout or breakdown. They’re a favorite in the crypto options arsenal for playing events like protocol upgrades, government announcements, or big Twitter hype cycles. Just remember: if the move isn’t large enough, both the call and put could expire worthless (cheaper cost, but still a total loss). Use strangles when you’re confident volatility will spike, and you want an inexpensive lottery ticket on the outcome.

By now, you’re probably thinking: “Options sound amazing, but where do I trade them — especially on all these altcoins?” The answer is PowerTrade — the premier altcoin options platform that’s tailor-made for this altseason frenzy. PowerTrade isn’t your typical crypto exchange; it’s an options-focused platform offering more altcoin markets, better tools, and higher capital efficiency than anything else out there. Here’s why PowerTrade is in a league of its own for altcoin options traders:

80+ Altcoin Option Markets. PowerTrade boasts the widest selection of altcoin options in the industry — over 80 and counting. If there’s an altcoin making headlines, odds are you can trade an option on it here. This one-stop market coverage means you aren’t limited to just Bitcoin or ETH options; you can speculate or hedge on nearly any coin you hold or follow. Major Layer-1s like Solana, Cardano, Avalanche? Check. DeFi tokens like AAVE or UNI? Check. Meme coins like DOGE, SHIB, BONK? Yup. Even low-cap upstarts and exotic tokens (did someone say APE, KAS, or TRUMP?) are available — many of which aren’t listed on any other options exchange. Altcoin season is about chasing the narrative on the next big thing, and PowerTrade ensures you’ll always find an options market to play that narrative. No other exchange comes close to this breadth of offerings.

Options trading on PowerTrade lets you control large positions with a fraction of the capital compared to spot. For example, to get ~$100 of exposure to an altcoin, you’d need to pay $100 on a spot exchange, or perhaps deposit ~$10 margin on a 10× futures platform — but a call option might cost you just ~$5. This means you can deploy your capital much more efficiently, spreading bets across many altcoins instead of going all-in on one. PowerTrade also supports portfolio margin and option spreads, so you often need far less collateral than on other platforms for the same trade size. The bottom line: you can do more with your money. Whether you’re hedging or speculating, PowerTrade’s options give you leveraged upside with limited downside, making your capital work harder.

User-Friendly, Pro-Grade Interface: Options might sound complex, but PowerTrade makes them accessible. The platform is clean, modern, and designed to simplify the trading experience. It was one of the first to launch a mobile-first crypto options app, so you can seamlessly trade on your phone without feeling overwhelmed. New to options? PowerTrade’s interface helps flatten the learning curve with visual P&L charts and strategy templates. Already a pro? You’ll love the advanced tools under the hood — including a one-click Strategy Builder that lets you set up multi-leg trades (spreads, straddles, combos) in seconds. No more manual leg-by-leg order placement; just select your strategy, tweak strikes/expiries, and execute. It’s never been easier to deploy complex strategies across dozens of coins. PowerTrade basically gives you a Bloomberg-level options platform in the palm of your hand, without the usual clutter of exchanges.

• Deep Liquidity & Fair Pricing: Liquidity is king in options trading, especially for altcoins. PowerTrade has partnered with professional market makers and built an institutional-grade liquidity engine to ensure you have tight bid-ask spreads and deep order books even on exotic altcoin options. On smaller platforms, you might find it hard to get a fair price (or any buyer/seller) for, say, a far out-of-the-money SHIB call. On PowerTrade, the markets are humming. You’re more likely to get orders filled near fair value, and be able to exit your positions when you need to — critical for active traders. For high-volume players, PowerTrade even offers a block trading RFQ (Request For Quote) system to handle large orders with minimal slippage. This means even if you’re trading six-figure notional positions on an altcoin option, you can do so without dramatically moving the market. In altseason, things move fast — but PowerTrade’s robust liquidity means you can maneuver with confidence.
• Flexible Expirations & 24/7 Trading: Crypto never sleeps, and neither does PowerTrade. You can trade options 24/7, so you won’t miss an opportunity just because it’s 3 AM on a Sunday. The platform offers a wide range of expiration dates to fit any strategy. Want to make a super short-term bet on a news event? Try a 0DTE or weekly option. Want longer exposure or hedging for the rest of the year? There are monthlies and even options up to 6–12 months out. Few exchanges offer such expiration flexibility on altcoin options. This lets you precisely tailor your trade to your thesis — whether it’s a one-day play or a long-term hedge. Plus, with 24/7 trading, you can react to global news instantly; no waiting for “market open” because crypto is always open.
• CEX & DEX Integration — Your Choice: Uniquely, PowerTrade isn’t just a single exchange. It’s both a centralized exchange and a decentralized protocol (PowerDEX) rolled into one ecosystem. On the main platform (the CEX), you get a familiar trading experience with custody provided by PowerTrade. If you prefer self-custody and on-chain settlement, PowerDEX on the Base network offers the same 80+ altcoin options markets in a decentralized manner. Even better — the CEX and DEX share liquidity and a unified interface, so you don’t sacrifice performance either way. PowerDEX’s on-chain trades feel as fast and smooth as a CEX, thanks to low-latency design and low fees on Base. Essentially, PowerTrade gives you the freedom to trade how you want: use the centralized platform for convenience (login and trade) or the decentralized exchange if you want full control of your keys. Either way, you tap into the same deep liquidity and wide market selection. For big traders, the integrated RFQ system mentioned earlier is available to securely negotiate large block trades off the order book — a feature rarely seen in crypto options. This holistic approach means PowerTrade has something for everyone, from DeFi die-hards to traditional traders.

In summary, PowerTrade is the one-stop shop for altcoin options. It combines an unbeatable range of markets (from AAVE to XRP, as the image above shows) with cutting-edge trading tools and a smooth user experience. During this altcoin season, having access to all these altcoin options under one roof is like being a kid in a candy store — any coin that’s popping off, you can jump in with an options play immediately. And the capital efficiency and risk management benefits mean you can trade more confidently, even in the crazy volatility of altseason.

Ready to seize the altcoin season? Don’t sit on the sidelines while others ride the wave to huge gains. Whether you’re looking to hedge your crypto bags or bet on the next 10× moonshot, options give you the edge — and PowerTrade gives you the platform to do it across the entire altcoin universe. The altcoin bull run is unfolding right now, and every spike, dip, and twist in the market is an opportunity for those equipped with options.

Don’t miss out on the altcoin options bonanza. Head over to PowerTrade and unlock those 80+ markets. Place your bets, hedge your risks, and let the altseason games begin! 🚀

Jump into the action here: PowerTrade CEX | PowerDEX (on-chain) | PowerTrade RFQ (Block Trading) — whichever route you choose, get ready to ride the altcoin wave with the most capital-efficient weapon in crypto!

Note: the links above get you on the referal program, whre you earn automatically 25% of the fees your referral sgenerated, paid directly to your PowerTrade account in USDC.

Happy trading, and may your altcoin options land “in the money”! 🥳💰