Privacy coin narratives cycle predictably. The common mistake? Treating Zcash and Monero as equals. Reality check: Monero dominates the privacy coin space by a mile, yet retail traders keep chasing Zcash's explosive moves.

Here's the pattern nobody talks about. Zcash runs predictable pump cycles—usually clustered at market cycle inflection points. You'll see coordinated buying at cycle starts, sharp rallies, then the dump hits just as hard. Meanwhile, Monero maintains steady utility and genuine adoption. Different beasts entirely.

The CT crowd gets this wrong every single cycle. They extrapolate one quarter of trading action into "this is the move." Zcash's volatility can look attractive on the surface, sure. But strip away the noise? Monero's fundamental positioning in the privacy ecosystem doesn't budge. Zcash remains the speculative play—efficient pump vehicles, then bloodbaths.

Market structure matters. Watch the cycle timing, not the hype.