**A 10-line report on altcoins:**
1. Definition: Cryptocurrencies that are alternatives to Bitcoin, used in various applications such as decentralized finance (DeFi) and smart contracts.
2. Trend: Their performance is often tied to Bitcoin's movements, showing strong ups and downs during bull markets.
3. Technical Innovation: Some excel with innovative technologies (such as Ethereum in smart contracts and Solana in speed).
4. Regulatory Challenges: They face increasing legal pressure, especially in countries like the United States due to the ambiguity of the legislative framework.
5. Institutional Adoption: Projects like Cardano and Polkadot are collaborating with governments and companies to integrate their technologies into real-world systems.
6. Fierce Competition: Thousands of currencies exist, but less than 1% of them are likely to survive in the long run due to a lack of viability.
7. **Speculation Risks**: They sometimes experience wild volatility (especially meme coins like Dogecoin), making them a high-risk investment.
8. **Environmental Impact**: They have drawn criticism for their energy consumption (like Proof-of-Work (PoW) coins), but some are transitioning to environmentally friendly methods.
9. **Future**: They may focus on niche areas such as Layer 2 solutions or interoperability.
10. Warning: Investing in them requires in-depth research.