Arthur Hayes has a knack for moving markets with his words. The BitMEX co-founder and Maelstrom CIO declared NEAR Protocol, Hyperliquid (HYPE), and Zcash (ZEC) the “holy trinity” of crypto on May 22, and NEAR’s token responded by rocketing more than 30% to a six-month high above $2.30.
The rally is especially notable because it happened during a broader market downturn. While Bitcoin and most altcoins were treading water or sinking, NEAR was busy printing green candles. After the initial spike, the token settled into a range around $2.23 to $2.24, still holding the bulk of its gains.
Why Hayes picked these three
Hayes’ “holy trinity” framing wasn’t random. Each of his three picks maps to a different thesis: Hyperliquid represents high-performance trading infrastructure, Zcash offers privacy features, and NEAR brings scalability to the table.
The endorsement carries weight partly because Hayes runs Maelstrom, his family office fund.
