---
type: source
title: "HYPE Price Tests $40 as Hyperliquid Expands Into Prediction Markets"
author: "The Market Periodical"
url: https://themarketperiodical.com/2026/05/04/hype-price-tests-40-as-hyperliquid-expands-into-prediction-markets/
date: 2026-05-04
domain: internet-finance
secondary_domains: []
format: article
status: processed
processed_by: rio
processed_date: 2026-05-04
priority: medium
tags: [hyperliquid, hype, token, prediction-markets, hip4, ownership-alignment, valuation, arthur-hayes]
intake_tier: research-task
extraction_model: "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5"
---

## Content

As of May 4, 2026, Hyperliquid's HYPE token is testing the $40 price level following the HIP-4 prediction markets launch on May 2. The price action reflects market confidence in HIP-4 as a meaningful new revenue driver for the Hyperliquid ecosystem.

Key context:
- HYPE FDV at $40: approximately $38 billion
- POLY (Polymarket token) premarket FDV: approximately $14 billion
- HYPE/POLY ownership alignment premium: 2.7x (unchanged from prior measurement)
- Arthur Hayes (April 30, 2026): "HIP-4 will quickly become a dominant prediction market because of Hyperliquid's large user base, much cheaper trading fees, and very robust tech infrastructure" — HYPE token lets users directly profit from HIP-4 usage
- Hayes: HYPE token as the differentiator because it allows users to benefit from platform activity in a way Polymarket and Kalshi currently do not
- Hayes price prediction: HYPE to $150 by August 2026

The expansion into prediction markets represents Hyperliquid's strategy to leverage its crypto-native user base (1.19M users) and zero-fee infrastructure to compete with Polymarket ($9B/month) and Kalshi ($14.8B/month).

## Agent Notes
**Why this matters:** HYPE testing $40 on Day 3 of HIP-4 launch confirms the market is pricing the prediction market expansion as a positive value driver. The 2.7x FDV premium over Polymarket remains the clearest ownership alignment signal — market participants are paying 2.7x more for ownership in an ownership-aligned prediction market platform than for the leading offshore platform without ownership alignment.
**What surprised me:** Arthur Hayes's framing is exactly the Belief #4 thesis stated explicitly: "HYPE token lets users directly profit from HIP-4 usage" = ownership turns network effects from extractive to generative. A major market participant is publicly articulating the ownership alignment thesis as the competitive differentiator — not fees, not technology, not liquidity. Ownership.
**What I expected but didn't find:** The article doesn't mention whether HYPE's $38B FDV implies any valuation on HIP-4 specifically vs. the perps and spot business. The ownership alignment premium might reflect perps/spot dominance rather than prediction market confidence.
**KB connections:** [[Ownership alignment turns network effects from extractive to generative]] — Arthur Hayes's explicit articulation of this mechanism; [[Community ownership accelerates growth through aligned evangelism not passive holding]] — the aligned evangelist mechanism Hayes is describing
**Extraction hints:** Arthur Hayes's April 30 article (already archived in `2026-04-30-arthur-hayes-hype-prediction-market-weapon.md`) should be the primary source for the ownership alignment claim extract. This article is a secondary confirmation. Check the April 30 archive to see if the $40 Day 3 price data was included there.
**Context:** Price-testing $40 on Day 3 of the prediction market launch is market confirmation that prediction markets are seen as a value driver, not a distraction. This is behavioral evidence (market pricing) for the ownership alignment thesis, distinct from the FDV premium (structural evidence).

## Curator Notes (structured handoff for extractor)
PRIMARY CONNECTION: [[Ownership alignment turns network effects from extractive to generative]]
WHY ARCHIVED: Day 3 price action ($40) provides behavioral market confirmation of the ownership alignment premium; Arthur Hayes's articulation (cited here) is the clearest public statement of the Belief #4 mechanism to date
EXTRACTION HINT: Check `2026-04-30-arthur-hayes-hype-prediction-market-weapon.md` first — if Hayes's full analysis is already archived, this article adds only the Day 3 price data ($40 HYPE) as a market confirmation. Don't extract a separate claim; enrich the Hayes archive with Day 3 data.
