$10,000 in TRUMP Token vs. $10,000 in Nasdaq: The "Trump Trade" That Actually Worked in 2026
By: WEEX|2026/07/06 10:00:00
0
Share
TL;DR
- A $10,000 investment in TRUMP Token fell to around $364 by July 2026, while comparable investments in major equity benchmarks and leading Nasdaq stocks delivered positive returns.
- The TRUMP Token peaked shortly after launch before losing more than 96% of its value, leaving most holders at a loss.
- Unlike memecoins, companies such as NVIDIA are supported by real revenue, earnings, and business fundamentals, helping explain their stronger long-term performance.
- The comparison highlights the difference between speculation driven by market sentiment and investing in assets with underlying value.
- For crypto traders seeking exposure to traditional markets, tokenized stocks and stock-linked contracts provide access to real-world assets within a crypto-native trading environment.
Explore tokenized Nasdaq and other global markets on WEEX: https://app.sensor.weex.tech:8106/t/zxB
In January 2025, two types of investors made a very similar bet: that Donald Trump's return to the White House would be good for their portfolio.
One group bought the $TRUMP memecoin at launch. The other bought Nasdaq — NVIDIA, the S&P 500, AI infrastructure plays.
Eighteen months later, the results couldn't be more different.
TRUMP Token vs. S&P 500: A $10,000 Investment Comparison
10,000 TRUMP tokens on Inauguration Day (January 20, 2025) are worth approximately $364 today, based on CoinMarketCap data. That's a loss of 96.4% in 18 months.
The same $10,000 invested in the S&P 500 on the same day? Worth roughly $12,298 — a gain of nearly 23%, per the same analysis.
And NVIDIA, the AI infrastructure stock that became the defining equity of the Trump-era tech boom? Up 39% in 2025 alone, after surging 171% in 2024, per Zacks Investment Research.
| Investment (Jan 20, 2025) | Value Today (Jul 2026) | Return |
| $TRUMP memecoin | ~$364 | −96.4% |
| Bitcoin (BTC) | ~$5,793 | −42% |
| S&P 500 | ~$12,298 | 0.23 |
| NVIDIA (NVDA) | Significantly higher | +39% in 2025 alone |
Sources: Newsweek/CoinMarketCap, Zacks/Yahoo Finance
Both were "Trump trades." One destroyed wealth. The other created it.
Why Has the TRUMP Token Lost More Than 96%?
The $TRUMP token launched on January 17, 2025 — three days before inauguration — and exploded to an all-time high of $74.27 within 48 hours, per Coinbase price data. At peak, the token commanded a market cap close to $15 billion.
Then it collapsed. By July 2026, it trades around $1.72 — down roughly 97.7% from its all-time high, per CoinMarketCap.
The scale of retail damage is staggering. According to blockchain analytics firm Nansen, as reported by CoinDesk:
- 988,905 wallets — roughly two out of every three buyers — are currently underwater
- Combined losses total $3.81 billion
- Average loss per affected wallet: approximately $3,850
- Meanwhile, Trump's own 2026 financial disclosure lists $636 million in personal income from the coin — classified as royalties from CIC Digital LLC, a Trump Organization affiliate
To put that asymmetry in one sentence: Trump personally earned $636 million from a token that generated only $236 million in net gains for all its buyers combined. His take was nearly three times the net profit of the entire buyer base.
The structure wasn't random. As CryptoBriefing noted, the approximately 492,285 wallets that did profit were almost entirely early buyers who entered below $1 in the token's first hours — before retail arrived, drove the price up, and became the exit liquidity.
Why NVIDIA and the S&P 500 Outperformed TRUMP Token
While $TRUMP was collapsing, the equity "Trump trade" was working exactly as advertised.
NVIDIA became the defining stock of the AI era under Trump's pro-tech, pro-deregulation agenda. After gaining 171% in 2024 and 39% in 2025, NVIDIA's data center revenue hit $51.22 billion in a single quarter — representing 89.8% of total sales — as demand for AI infrastructure proved insatiable. Its 52-week high reached $236.54, per MacroTrends.
The S&P 500 gained roughly 23% over the same period that $TRUMP lost 96%. The index benefited from Trump-era corporate tax policy, deregulation, and continued AI investment by hyperscalers.
The core difference comes down to one thing: underlying value.
NVIDIA generates $$65 billion in quarterly revenue. It has customers, products, and cash flows. The$$TRUMP token, per CoinMarketCap's own description, derived its value from "social media trends, community sentiment, and cultural associations rather than underlying business revenue." When the sentiment faded, there was nothing underneath to catch the fall.
Why Memecoins and Stocks Follow Different Investment Models
This isn't a story about Trump being good or bad for markets. It's a story about what kind of asset you bought to express that view.
The $TRUMP token had three structural problems that made retail losses almost inevitable:
- Insider concentration: 80% of the token supply is controlled by Trump-affiliated entities — CIC Digital LLC and Fight Fight Fight LLC — with a three-year lock-up. When insiders hold 80% of supply, retail is always buying into a wall of future selling pressure.
- No revenue mechanism: Unlike a stock, which represents a claim on a company's earnings, a memecoin has no cash flows to anchor its price. Price is purely a function of the next buyer willing to pay more. When new buyers stop arriving, price collapses.
- Retail arrived late: Volume patterns show retail buying clustered after initial price spikes — precisely when insiders and early entrants were best positioned to sell. This isn't unique to $TRUMP; it's the structural reality of most memecoin launches.
Nasdaq don't have these problems. A share of NVIDIA is a claim on a company that earns tens of billions in revenue per quarter. It can be volatile, but it has a floor anchored in real business activity.
What Crypto Traders Can Learn from the TRUMP Token Collapse
None of this means crypto is a bad trade. Bitcoin itself — while down 42% from inauguration day — still functions as a macro asset with structural institutional demand. And the broader tokenized equity trend is actually solving the problem that $TRUMP exposed: how do you get price exposure to real assets like NVIDIA, Apple, or the S&P 500, while trading 24/7 in a crypto-native environment?
Tokenized
stocks — where each token is backed 1:1 by the actual underlying equity — give crypto traders exposure to real earnings, real revenue, and real fundamentals. No insider allocations. No hype cycles. No exit liquidity games.
Platforms that offer stock-linked contracts are now letting traders go long NVIDIA, short Tesla, or replicate an S&P 500 position entirely within a crypto trading environment. The infrastructure is real, the asset is real, and the price tracks actual equity markets.
That's the trade the $TRUMP token buyers thought they were making. It just turned out the product was a meme, not a market.
Trade Nasdaq Markets on WEEX
The biggest lesson from the "Trump trade" isn't that crypto failed—it's that the asset you choose matters more than the narrative behind it.
While the TRUMP Token lost more than 96%, companies like NVIDIA continued to grow on the back of real products, real customers, and real earnings. For traders looking to capture market opportunities without relying solely on hype, stock-linked products offer exposure to assets backed by business fundamentals rather than sentiment alone.
If you're interested in trading Nasdaq-linked markets alongside crypto, WEEX's Nasdaq trading campaign is live until July 8, offering an easy way to explore global market opportunities in one place.
Explore the campaign here: https://app.sensor.weex.tech:8106/t/zxB
Whether you trade crypto, Nasdaq, gold, or both, the same principle applies: don't just follow the story—understand the asset behind it.
Data sources: Nansen via CoinDesk · Newsweek/CoinMarketCap · CryptoBriefing · MacroTrends NVDA · Zacks/Yahoo Finance
Disclaimer: This content is provided for general brand communication and informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, legal, or tax advice. Any activities, rewards, campaigns, or related information mentioned herein should not be interpreted as an offer, solicitation, recommendation, or invitation to buy, sell, trade, or use any crypto asset or service. Crypto assets are highly volatile and involve significant risk, including the potential loss of value. WEEX services and online campaigns may not be available in all jurisdictions and are subject to applicable laws, regulations, and user eligibility requirements. Certain activities may be restricted or unavailable in specific regions.You are responsible for ensuring that your access to and use of WEEX services complies with applicable local laws and regulations. Before participating in any activity involving crypto assets, carefully assess the associated risks.
About WEEX
Founded in 2018, WEEX has developed into a global crypto exchange with over 6.2 million users across more than 150 countries. The platform emphasizes security, liquidity, and usability, providing over 1,200 spot trading pairs and offering up to 400x leverage in crypto futures trading. In addition to the traditional spot and derivatives markets, WEEX is expanding rapidly in the AI era delivering real time AI news, empowering users with AI trading tools, and exploring innovative trade to earn models that make intelligent trading more accessible to everyone. Its 1,000 BTC Protection Fund further strengthens asset safety and transparency, while features such as copy trading and advanced trading tools allow users to follow professional traders and experience a more efficient, intelligent trading journey.
Follow WEEX on social media
Instagram: @WEEX Exchange
Tiktok: @weex_global
Youtube: @WEEX_Official
Discord: WEEX Community
Telegram: WeexGlobal Group
You may also like
The ten years of Cloud on the Air: From corner coffee to global financial infrastructure
How did a remittance company grow into a financial infrastructure that can replace SWIFT; when it really reaches this scale, how should stablecoins be positioned for it; and what can AI integrate into this infrastructure?
From ByteDance to Financial Freedom: How did "Byte Brother" Leto develop his investment judgment skills to achieve a turnaround of 30 million?
Speak with data and signals, validate judgments with A/B tests, and seek asymmetric returns with limited risk exposure.
OUSD False Cooperation Controversy? The Credit Game of Stablecoins and Endorsements by Giants
The success of stablecoins does not rely on rallying a group of alliance members for marketing, but rather on whether they have real use cases and genuine users.
Trump, the best stock trader among U.S. presidents
Trump has almost turned the presidency into a business and maximized the conversion of presidential influence into commercial profits.
Q-Day Countdown: Will Quantum Computing End Cryptocurrency?
In the face of dormant coins being plundered by quantum computing power, should we firmly uphold the unalterable bottom line of "code is law," or should we enforce a soft fork to freeze legacy assets?
Selling coins despite a loss of 55 million dollars, the faith in Strategy has reached the interest payment date
The moment faith was securitized, Bitcoin became a bill.
The cryptocurrency industry has become a traditional industry
For entrepreneurs and retail investors still in this industry, they should either embrace the current changes or explore the next unpredictable field in cryptocurrency.
Chip frenzy cooling down? Morgan Stanley's Wilson: Funds are shifting towards AI supercomputing giants like Microsoft and Amazon
Morgan Stanley's chief equity strategist Wilson pointed out that the momentum in the semiconductor sector is waning, with the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index having dropped nearly 14% from its peak. Funds are shifting towards AI supercomputing giants like Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta, as well as sec...
Morning Report | Vitalik outlines Ethereum's long-term roadmap, Lean Ethereum will become the third major iteration; SK Hynix seeks to attract more AI investors by listing in the U.S
July 5 Market Important Events Overview
The impact of OUSD on Circle, Tether, and Paxos: not a single negative factor, but a more complex reshaping of competition
OUSD will not be the last new competitor; Circle needs to respond more actively in terms of products, distribution, and ecosystem collaboration.
Li Feifei's latest long article: When video generation, robots, and NVIDIA all claim to be world models, we need a taxonomy
Language gives machines a way to talk about the world. The world model is the means by which machines ultimately understand, imagine, reason, and interact with it.
Blaming the desolation of the cryptocurrency world on the rise of AI is a form of intellectual laziness
The emergence of giants signifies a mature business model. Although it will reduce speculative space, there is also enough room for error, allowing for the continuous emergence of new forces.
Strategy Founder: The Next 10 Years of Bitcoin
In the next decade, the biggest evolution of Bitcoin is precisely "responding to change with invariance." The four-year cycle is giving way to capital flows such as ETFs, corporate and sovereign reserves, and bank credit, while digital credit and digital currency will grow layer upon layer on top of...
Forbes Special Report: Stablecoin cross-border payments are faster now, but not cheaper yet
Cross-border payments using stablecoins are rapidly expanding, bringing speed and accessibility, but due to insufficient institutional liquidity, they have not yet delivered on their promised cost savings. The technology has been validated, and regulations are improving, but the industry has not yet...
A valuation of 8 billion dollars, doubling in 8 months! What makes the crypto-friendly bank Erebor Bank stand out?
Erebor is a high-profile experiment taking place at the intersection of banking, cryptocurrency, and industrial policy.
340 billion valuation: Li Yanhong's largest IPO, a seat in Kunlunxin's shares is hard to come by
As a core asset in Baidu's AI landscape, Kunlun Chip is expected to exceed Baidu's market value after going public, becoming an important bargaining chip in its turnaround battle.
Stablecoins are the "royalists" of the crypto world: Open USD brings the old currency system into play
The emergence of Open USD has shifted the competition for stablecoins from the market struggle of crypto startups to a battle for infrastructure involving traditional finance, payment networks, technology platforms, and public chain ecosystems.
Cape Verde 2-3 Argentina: The Underdog Team That Stunned the World in Defeat
Cape Verde's run ended in a 3-2 defeat to Argentina, but their journey — three unbeaten draws, one heroic goalkeeper, and a fight that pushed the defending champions to the brink — is the kind of story markets recognize too: small caps can rattle blue chips long before anyone expects it.
The ten years of Cloud on the Air: From corner coffee to global financial infrastructure
How did a remittance company grow into a financial infrastructure that can replace SWIFT; when it really reaches this scale, how should stablecoins be positioned for it; and what can AI integrate into this infrastructure?
From ByteDance to Financial Freedom: How did "Byte Brother" Leto develop his investment judgment skills to achieve a turnaround of 30 million?
Speak with data and signals, validate judgments with A/B tests, and seek asymmetric returns with limited risk exposure.
OUSD False Cooperation Controversy? The Credit Game of Stablecoins and Endorsements by Giants
The success of stablecoins does not rely on rallying a group of alliance members for marketing, but rather on whether they have real use cases and genuine users.
Trump, the best stock trader among U.S. presidents
Trump has almost turned the presidency into a business and maximized the conversion of presidential influence into commercial profits.
Q-Day Countdown: Will Quantum Computing End Cryptocurrency?
In the face of dormant coins being plundered by quantum computing power, should we firmly uphold the unalterable bottom line of "code is law," or should we enforce a soft fork to freeze legacy assets?
Selling coins despite a loss of 55 million dollars, the faith in Strategy has reached the interest payment date
The moment faith was securitized, Bitcoin became a bill.
Customer Support:@weikecs
Business Cooperation:@weikecs
Quant Trading & MM:bd@weex.com
VIP Program:support@weex.com
