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Crypto FDV Explained: Why Market Cap Can Mislead Investors
The article explains that a cryptocurrency's market cap and its fully diluted valuation (FDV) tell different parts of its value story. It teaches how to calculate both and discusses what low float/high FDV means, including why token unlocks matter.
Published:
Updated:
What happened
The article explains that a cryptocurrency's market cap and its fully diluted valuation (FDV) tell different parts of its value story. It teaches how to calculate both and discusses what low float/high FDV means, including why token unlocks matter.
Confirmed
Global impact / market context
Investors might misread a coin's true worth if they only look at market cap. FDV shows the value if all future tokens were released, helping avoid overpaying before scheduled unlock events that can flood supply and lower price. This affects investor positioning.
Analyst inference
Many new crypto projects launch with a small portion of tokens available, called a low float, while promising many more later. This makes market cap look smaller than FDV, and when unlocks happen, extra supply can push prices down. Lower prices reduce project revenue.
Analyst inference
What to watch
- The article explains how to calculate both market cap and fully diluted valuation, giving formulas for each. This calculation is the base for comparing the two figures. Confirmed
- Investors should check a token's unlock schedule to see when new supply enters. A large upcoming unlock may signal future price pressure, so compare FDV to market cap before deciding. Proposed
- Projects with low float and high FDV may see their price drop when locked tokens become tradable. This can lower the project's capital, so watch for announcements about token releases. Analyst inference
Affected assets
- DEFI — DeFi