Solana plans to implement its most aggressive network upgrade since its inception in 2026. This plan involves comprehensive system overhauls, from the underlying consensus mechanism to upper-layer infrastructure. The core goal is clear—create an on-chain environment at the level of centralized exchanges, enabling native centralized limit order books (CLOB) to compete directly with centralized exchanges (CEX) in terms of latency, liquidity, and fairness. The most notable aspect of this upgrade plan is Alpenglow, a major protocol-level change. **Thorough Reconstruction of the Consensus Mechanism** Alpenglow breaks away from traditional validation processes. Previously, multiple rounds of voting were conducted sequentially. The new architecture allows validators to aggregate voting data off-chain and finalize the confirmation within one or two rounds. The immediate effect of this change is a reduction in the theoretical final confirmation time from 12.8 seconds to 100-150 milliseconds. The cleverness of this new system lies in its dual-path design. The first path: if a block’s stake support exceeds 80%, it is accepted directly without waiting. The second path: if support is between 60% and 80%, a second round of voting is triggered. As long as the support in the second round remains above 60%, the block can be anchored. This mechanism ensures network security while significantly improving confirmation efficiency.

The cryptocurrency market has indeed been quite quiet over the past two days. Due to expectations of US regulatory actions, escalating geopolitical tensions, and the typically low trading volume at year-end, the entire market has been trending downward. Currently, Bitcoin is oscillating between $89,000 and $90,000, with a 24-hour decline of 3-4%, and it even briefly broke below $89k. Ethereum's performance is worse, shrinking by 5-7% around the $2,900-$3,000 range. Looking at the overall market, the total market capitalization has fallen back to the $3.0-$3.1 trillion level, with trading volumes significantly shrinking and a strong sense of panic prevailing. Leveraged positions liquidated have exceeded $1 billion, wiping out much of the gains accumulated earlier this year. However, from a long-term perspective, the narrative of Bitcoin's scarcity remains unchanged, and the overall institutional deployment remains steady. Many still target over $150,000, and Ethereum is expected to challenge the $4,000 mark. The current pullback actually provides cautious investors with opportunities to accumulate at lower levels. Strategically, the following approach is recommended: In the short term, if BTC can hold the support at $88,000, consider gradually adding small positions, aiming for a rebound zone of $92,000-$93,000. As long as ETH stays above $2,900, avoid selling too quickly. Leverage should be strictly avoided, and setting a stop-loss at $88,000 is more prudent. Core holdings should focus on BTC and ETH (accounting for 60%), with SOL, XRP, RWA concept tokens, and stablecoins as auxiliary allocations, as these have performed relatively well recently. Meme coins and other high-risk assets can be set aside for now, and re-enter once market sentiment improves. Additionally, it is worth paying attention to the tokenization trend, which could become the engine of the next super cycle. In summary, manage risks carefully, view volatility rationally, and this correction may not necessarily be a bad thing.

Cryptocurrency analyst DonAlt warns that Bitcoin is currently trapped in a "dead zone" between $85,000 and $92,000, an area that serves as both resistance and a liquidity trap. He believes that if Bitcoin cannot break through this zone, it could fall to around $60,000, signaling the arrival of a bear market. While a breakthrough to $150,000 is not impossible for Bitcoin, he remains skeptical if it cannot hold above the current levels. Additionally, he criticized Solana's price movement and pointed out a concerning failure in Litecoin's long-term trend line.