From “this is complicated” to “I have a 15-minute checklist”. The goal is to quickly scan a token and decide: dig deeper or skip. The checklist doesn’t replace deep analysis, but helps filter out what’s not worth even looking at the chart. Introduction to fundamental analysis and connection with technical analysis — in the overview article.

Important: This checklist is a “junk/not junk” filter, not a buy recommendation. For deep tokenomics analysis see What is Tokenomics, for on-chain metrics — On-Chain Analysis.

Step 1. Basic Information (3 minutes)

Where to check: CoinMarketCap, CoinGecko

Checklist:

• Top 200 by market cap (below — high manipulation risk)
• 24h volume > $1M (otherwise hard to enter/exit)
• Trades on 3+ exchanges (dependence on one platform — risk)
• Has USDT/USDC pair (stable liquidity)

Red flags:

• ❌ Top 500+ by market cap
• ❌ Volume < $100,000 per 24h
• ❌ Only one exchange (especially unknown)
• ❌ No stablecoin pairs

Decision: If 2+ red flags — skip.

Step 2. Project and Team (5 minutes)

Where to check: Project website, Twitter, Discord, GitHub

Checklist:

• Website with problem and solution description (not just “to the moon”)
• Whitepaper or documentation (clear what project does)
• Team is public (names, LinkedIn, experience)
• GitHub is active (commits in last month)
• Social media is alive (posts 2-3 times per week, not just “partnerships”)

Red flags:

• ❌ No product description (only “crypto revolution”)
• ❌ Team is anonymous (no names, only nicknames)
• ❌ GitHub is empty or last commit > 6 months ago
• ❌ Social media only promises “X100” and “next Bitcoin”
• ❌ Partnerships with unknown projects (or fake)

Decision: If 2+ red flags — skip.

Step 3. Tokenomics (5 minutes)

Where to check: CoinMarketCap, Token Unlocks, project website

Checklist:

• Max Supply is specified (clear how many tokens will exist)
• Circulating Supply > 50% of Max Supply (otherwise many ununlocked)
• No major unlocks in next 30 days
• Team has < 20% of tokens (or vesting 2+ years)
• Has utility (token needed for product, not just speculation)

Red flags:

• ❌ Max Supply not specified (infinite emission)
• ❌ Circulating Supply < 20% of Max Supply
• ❌ Unlock > 10% of supply in next 7 days
• ❌ Team has 30%+ tokens without vesting
• ❌ Token not needed for product (only “hold and wait for growth”)

Decision: If 2+ red flags — skip.

More details: What is Tokenomics — metrics, token types, examples.

15-Minute Fundamental: Step-by-Step Algorithm

This checklist can be completed in 15 minutes if done sequentially. Let’s go through each stage in detail.

Minutes 1-3: Quick Project Check

First impression (30 seconds):

• Open project website
• Look at homepage: is there problem and solution description?
• If only “revolution”, “to the moon”, “next Bitcoin” — close it

Documentation (1 minute):

• Look for Whitepaper, Litepaper, Docs
• Open “About” or “Overview” section
• Read first 2-3 paragraphs: is it clear what project does?

Good description example:

“Our protocol allows staking ETH and earning validation rewards. Fees are distributed among stakers, 10% goes to treasury for development.”

Bad description example:

“Revolutionary next-gen token will change crypto world! Join us on the way to X100!”

Team (1 minute):

• Look for “Team” or “About Us” section
• Check: are there names, photos, LinkedIn?
• Google 1-2 key people: do they have industry experience?

Good team example:

• ✅ CEO: John Smith, former CTO at Binance, LinkedIn with 10+ years experience
• ✅ CTO: Jane Doe, PhD in cryptography, publications in journals

Bad team example:

• ❌ “Our team consists of experienced professionals” (no names)
• ❌ Only nicknames: “CryptoKing”, “MoonBoy”, “SatoshiFan”

Social media (30 seconds):

• Twitter/X: posts 2-3 times per week or only “partnerships”?
• Discord/Telegram: live community or only bots?
• GitHub: commits in last month or empty?

Minutes 4-7: Tokenomics

Open CoinMarketCap or CoinGecko:

1. Check Supply (1 minute):

• Max Supply: is there a number?
• Circulating Supply: what percentage of Max?
• Total Supply: how differs from Circulating?

Calculation example:

Max Supply: 1,000,000,000 tokens
Circulating: 300,000,000 tokens (30%)
Conclusion: 70% of tokens still ununlocked — risk of price pressure

2. Check Unlocks (2 minutes):

• Go to TokenUnlocks.app
• Enter token ticker
• Check: are there major unlocks in next 30 days?

Example:

Next unlock: April 15 (in 10 days)
Volume: 50,000,000 tokens (16.7% of circulating)
Who receives: team and early investors
Conclusion: high price drop risk — postpone entry until May

3. Check Distribution (2 minutes):

• Look for “Token Distribution” section on project website
• Check shares: team, investors, community, public sale

Optimal distribution:

• Team and investors: 10-20% (with vesting!)
• Community and ecosystem: 40-60%
• Public sale: 20-40%

Good distribution example:

• Team: 15% (vesting 4 years)
• Investors: 10% (vesting 2 years)
• Community: 50% (ecosystem, rewards)
• Public sale: 25%

Bad distribution example:

• Team: 40% (no vesting) ❌
• Investors: 30% (unlock in 1 month) ❌
• Community: 20%
• Public sale: 10%

Minutes 8-11: On-Chain Data

Open Glassnode or CryptoQuant:

1. MVRV (2 minutes):

• Look for MVRV Ratio metric
• Check current value

Interpretation:

• MVRV < 1: undervaluation zone (many in loss)
• MVRV 1-2: neutral zone
• MVRV > 3: overheating zone (correction risk)

Example:

BTC MVRV: 1.5
Conclusion: neutral zone, can consider entry

2. Exchange Reserves (2 minutes):

• Look for “Exchange Reserves” metric
• Check trend for 7-30 days

Interpretation:

• Outflow from exchanges: accumulation (bullish signal)
• Inflow to exchanges: potential selling (bearish signal)

Example:

BTC reserves: -50,000 BTC over 30 days
Conclusion: outflow from exchanges, accumulation signal

Minutes 12-15: Final Check

Questions before entry:

1. Do I understand what the project does?

• ✅ Yes, can explain in my own words
• ❌ No, too complex or unclear

2. Does the token have real utility?

• ✅ Yes, needed for product (staking, governance, fees)
• ❌ No, only speculation

3. Is the market overheated?

• ✅ MVRV < 2, no hype in social media
• ❌ MVRV > 3, everyone talking about project

4. Am I ready to lose the entire position?

• ✅ Yes, this is risk capital
• ❌ No, this is last money

Decision:

• If all 4 answers “yes” — can enter (with stop-loss)
• If 1-2 answers “no” — reduce position 2-3x
• If 3+ answers “no” — skip

Project Analysis Examples

Example 1: BTC (quick check)

Step 1: Basic Info (1 minute)

• Rank: #1 ✅
• 24h volume: $20+B ✅
• Exchanges: 100+ ✅
• Pairs: BTC/USDT, BTC/USD ✅

Step 2: Project and Team (2 minutes)

• Whitepaper: exists (2008) ✅
• Team: decentralized (Satoshi anonymous) ⚠️
• GitHub: active ✅
• Social media: Reddit, Twitter active ✅

Step 3: Tokenomics (3 minutes)

• Max Supply: 21M ✅
• Circulating: 19.5M (93%) ✅
• Unlocks: none (all mined) ✅
• Inflation: 1.7% annually ✅

Step 4: On-Chain (2 minutes)

• MVRV: 1.5 (neutral) ✅
• Reserves: outflow from exchanges ✅
• Whales: no anomalies ✅

Conclusion: BTC passed all steps ✅

• Can proceed to technical analysis for entry point
• Position size: by risk management
• Stop-loss: mandatory

Example 2: Top-50 Altcoin (detailed)

Let’s call it “ALT” (top-50 by market cap)

Step 1: Basic Info (2 minutes)

• Rank: #47 ✅
• 24h volume: $500M ✅
• Exchanges: Bybit, Bitget, BingX ✅
• Pairs: ALT/USDT, ALT/BTC ✅

Step 2: Project and Team (4 minutes)

• Website: exists, clear description ✅
• Whitepaper: exists, 50 pages ✅
• Team: public, LinkedIn verified ✅
• GitHub: commits 2 weeks ago ✅
• Twitter: posts daily, community alive ✅

Step 3: Tokenomics (5 minutes)

• Max Supply: 1B ✅
• Circulating: 400M (40%) ⚠️ (less than 50%)
• Unlocks: 100M tokens in 20 days (25% of circulating) ❌
• Team: 15% with vesting 3 years ✅
• Utility: staking, governance, fees ✅

Step 4: On-Chain (2 minutes)

• MVRV: 2.5 (close to overheating) ⚠️
• Reserves: inflow to exchanges this week ❌
• Whales: no anomalies ✅

Conclusion: ALT failed 3 points ❌

• 25% unlock in 20 days — high risk
• Inflow to exchanges — potential pressure
• MVRV close to overheating

Decision:

• Postpone entry until after unlock (in 3-4 weeks)
• If project is strong — consider after 20-30% drop
• Stop-loss mandatory on entry

Red Flags vs Green Flags

Red Flags (avoid)	Green Flags (can consider)
Project:
❌ No product description	✅ Clear problem and solution
❌ Team is anonymous	✅ Team is public, experience verified
❌ GitHub is empty or dead	✅ GitHub active, commits regular
❌ Social media only “X100”	✅ Posts about product, updates, AMA
Tokenomics:
❌ Max Supply not specified	✅ Max Supply specified, clear
❌ Circulating < 20% of Max	✅ Circulating > 50% of Max
❌ Unlock > 10% in next 7 days	✅ No major unlocks 3+ months
❌ Team 30%+ without vesting	✅ Team < 20% with vesting 2+ years
❌ No utility (only speculation)	✅ Has utility (staking, governance)
On-Chain:
❌ MVRV > 3 (overheating)	✅ MVRV < 2 (neutral or undervalued)
❌ Inflow to exchanges > 10% per week	✅ Outflow from exchanges (accumulation)
❌ Whales transferring to exchanges	✅ Whales accumulating
Market:
❌ Top 500+ by market cap	✅ Top 200 by market cap
❌ Volume < $100,000 per 24h	✅ Volume > $1M per 24h
❌ Only 1 exchange (unknown)	✅ 3+ exchanges (Bybit, Bitget, BingX)
❌ No USDT/USDC pairs	✅ Has stablecoin pairs

Scoring system:

• 8+ green flags: Can consider for entry
• 5-7 green flags: Requires additional analysis
• < 5 green flags: Avoid

Summary

Quick analysis formula:

• Steps 1-3 (15 minutes) — “junk/not junk” filter
• Step 4 (2 minutes) — entry timing choice
• Step 5 (1 minute) — final decision

If token passed all 5 steps:

• ✅ Can proceed to technical analysis for entry point
• ✅ Position size — by risk management
• ✅ Stop-loss — mandatory

If token failed any step:

• ❌ Skip or position 3-5x smaller than usual
• ❌ Stop-loss — mandatory

Remember: Fundamental analysis doesn’t guarantee profit. It only reduces risk of entering obviously weak projects. Technical analysis gives entry and exit points.

More on risk management: Risk Management for Beginner Traders.

FAQ

How long does the checklist take in practice?

On first pass — 15-20 minutes. When you get used to data sources — can fit in 10-15 minutes per token.

Can I skip on-chain metrics?

Yes, for initial filter steps 1-3 are enough (basic info, project, tokenomics). On-chain adds cycle context and large holder behavior; for deep dive useful — see on-chain metrics in FA.

What to do after the checklist?

If token passed the filter — can proceed to technical analysis for entry point: levels, indicators, volume. If not — either skip, or greatly limit position size and use stop-loss.

Which services to use for the checklist?

• Basic info: CoinMarketCap, CoinGecko
• Tokenomics: Token Unlocks, project website
• On-chain: Glassnode, CryptoQuant, Arkham
• Team and project: Twitter, Discord, GitHub

Can I trade only by checklist?

No. Checklist only filters “junk”. For entry use technical analysis: levels, indicators, volume. Checklist answers “worth looking”, technical analysis answers “when to enter”.

What if token has good fundamentals but bad technicals?

Wait for better technical setup. Good fundamentals with bad entry point = still a loss. Patience is key.

How often to recheck fundamentals?

• Top-10 assets: once per week
• Top-100 assets: once per 2 weeks
• Top-500+ assets: before every entry
• Before major events: always recheck (unlocks, upgrades, regulations)