Arthur Hayes says Hyperliquid trades 24/7 while traditional exchanges rest, predicting HYPE could hit $150 amid Middle East tensions.
Arthur Hayes has turned heads in the crypto space again. The BitMEX co-founder took to X over the weekend to spotlight Hyperliquid’s round-the-clock trading setup.
He pointed to the oil perpetual contract CL-USDC as a key price discovery tool while conflict escalates in the Middle East. Then Hayes dropped a bold price target: HYPE to $150.
Arthur Hayes Flags Hyperliquid’s 24/7 Trading Edge
Traditional exchanges go quiet on weekends. Their systems, Hayes noted, essentially “caddy for their humans on the golf course.” Hyperliquid does not stop.
The decentralized platform runs continuously, keeping markets open regardless of what day it is.
Hayes highlighted the oil perpetual contract CL-USDC specifically. With ongoing conflict in the Middle East, energy markets face real pressure.
Hyperliquid gives traders a place to act on that information in real time. No waiting for Monday. No gap risk from a closed market.
It's the weekend and the TradExchanges' computers must caddy for their humans on the golf course. But @HyperliquidX is always open for trading. The oil perp CL-USDC is where price discovery will happen this weekend as bombs continue to fall in the middle east.$HYPE -> $150 😘😘 pic.twitter.com/nvDo2s9TFl
— Arthur Hayes (@CryptoHayes) March 6, 2026
This kind of accessibility sets Hyperliquid apart from centralized competitors. Hayes sees it as a structural advantage that the protocol has executed better than most.
HYPE Token Buybacks Draw Both Praise and Skepticism
Not everyone shares Hayes’s optimism on the token side.
One crypto analyst on X, going by the handle @cryptodude999, praised Hyperliquid’s model while raising concerns about HYPE’s price outlook.
$HYPE I don't think this is a pretty looking chart.
Onchain perpetual trading is a brilliant idea, and Hyperliquid has executed it better than anyone. But most of the time there's a disconnect between how good a protocol is and how the token actually performs.
Yes, trading… pic.twitter.com/UMAzX9VaUm
— the dude (@cryptodude999) March 7, 2026
The analyst acknowledged that trading fees flowing into buybacks represent solid tokenomics on paper. However, he pointed to a key problem: most HYPE tokens were airdropped. That means the cost basis for many holders sits near zero.
Low cost basis often means low conviction. Sellers face little risk in offloading tokens into any price strength.
The concern goes further. A vesting schedule running into 2027 and roughly 38.89% of total supply still earmarked for future emissions add more sell pressure to the picture.
He estimated that future token releases could total nearly 400 million tokens. Buybacks, in his view, are fighting a multi-front battle. His conclusion: he would only find interest in HYPE below $20.
Related Reading: HyperCore Burns 33K HYPE Daily, Fueling Massive Deflation
HYPE Token Price and On-Chain Burn Activity
Despite the debate, recent on-chain data points to active deflationary pressure.
Recently, HyperCore repurchased and burned 53,765 HYPE tokens. The purchase price averaged approximately $31.36 per token. After accounting for rewards and unlocks, the net deflationary figure came to 21,486 HYPE tokens removed from circulation.
According to CoinGecko data, HYPE was trading at $30.50 at the time of writing.
The token recorded a 24-hour trading volume of $237,494,349. Price movement showed a minor dip of 1.09% over the last 24 hours, though the weekly picture looked stronger with a 14.54% gain.
Hayes’s $150 target remains a significant distance from current levels. Whether the 24/7 trading advantage and ongoing buyback program can close that gap against heavy supply pressure stays an open question in the market.
