Arthur Hayes is making a high-conviction bet on Hyperliquid, arguing in a new essay that HYPE could climb to $150 by August 2026 even if the broader crypto backdrop stays weak. His case rests on a familiar exchange-token playbook, but updated for a market where decentralized perps, not centralized venues, are increasingly capturing the most valuable trading flow. Why Hayes Thinks Hyperliquid Can Reach $150 Hayes frames Hyperliquid as the standout asset in a sluggish or sideways market because exchanges can keep generating fees regardless of whether prices are rising. In his telling, that matters even more for Hyperliquid because 97% of protocol revenue is used to buy back HYPE from the market. “Hyperliquid, the dominant perp DEX, is the largest revenue-generating project that isn’t a stablecoin,” he wrote. “No other project in all of crypto hands as much money back to token holders as Hyperliquid.” His target implies roughly a 5x move from about $30 at the time of writing. To get there