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Adjusted Market Cap

Adjusted market cap is Tokenomist's proprietary valuation metric that multiplies the current token price by the adjusted released supply — all tokens that have exited their locked state, including those still held by insiders. It provides a more accurate picture of actual market exposure than standard reported market cap.
TradFi parallel — Like calculating a company's market cap using all unrestricted shares — including those held by insiders who could sell at any time — rather than only the shares actively trading on exchanges.

Key Takeaways

  • 01
    Formula: Current Price multiplied by Adjusted Released Supply — uses all tokens that have exited their locked state as the denominator
  • 02
    Tokenomist proprietary metric displayed with a "Tokenomist Metric" badge in the Fundamentals section of token detail pages
  • 03
    Includes tokens held by insiders, team members, and investors that are unlocked but not yet sold — unlike reported market cap which counts only actively circulating tokens
  • 04
    Typically higher than reported market cap because it captures latent supply overhang from unlocked but unsold tokens
  • 05
    The gap between adjusted and reported market cap quantifies hidden sell-side pressure from insider holdings

How It Works

Adjusted market cap addresses a fundamental limitation of reported market cap. Standard market cap relies on circulating supply figures from data providers like CoinGecko, which may not accurately reflect the full set of tokens that are unlocked and could enter the market at any moment. Tokenomist's adjusted market cap uses released supply as the denominator instead, capturing every token that has exited its locked state. The formula is: Current Price multiplied by Adjusted Released Supply. Released supply includes all tokens that have completed their vesting period or been unlocked from smart contracts — whether they have been transferred to exchanges, sold on the open market, or are still sitting in insider wallets. This means adjusted market cap is typically higher than reported market cap, because it accounts for the latent supply overhang from insiders, team members, and investors who hold unlocked tokens but have not yet sold. On Tokenomist's token detail pages, adjusted market cap appears in the Fundamentals section with a "Tokenomist Metric" badge to distinguish it from the standard reported figure. The difference between the two metrics is analytically valuable: a large gap signals significant insider-held unlocked supply that could create sell pressure. A narrow gap suggests most unlocked tokens have already entered circulation. Tracking this spread over time helps investors anticipate supply-driven price movements before they appear in standard market data.

Real World Examples

Hyperliquid: Insider Supply Visibility
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Hyperliquid's adjusted market cap on Tokenomist reveals the full extent of unlocked HYPE tokens, including those held by the team and early contributors. Comparing this with the reported market cap shows how much potential sell-side supply exists beyond what standard aggregators capture.
Worldcoin: Post-Cliff Insider Overhang
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After Worldcoin's major vesting cliffs expired, a significant portion of WLD tokens became released but remained in insider wallets. The adjusted market cap captured this overhang immediately, while the reported market cap lagged until those tokens were actually transferred to exchanges.
Aptos: Team and Investor Unlocks
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Aptos experienced large team and investor unlock events in 2023-2024. The adjusted market cap reflected these newly released tokens instantly, providing an early warning of potential supply pressure that the reported market cap did not show until weeks later when tokens moved to exchanges.
Optimism: DAO Treasury as Released Supply
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Optimism's adjusted market cap includes OP tokens released to the DAO treasury that have not yet been distributed. These tokens are unlocked and accessible but not yet circulating, creating a meaningful gap between adjusted and reported market cap that Tokenomist surfaces for analysts.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is adjusted market cap different from reported market cap?
Reported market cap uses CoinGecko's circulating supply — tokens actively trading on the open market. Adjusted market cap uses Tokenomist's released supply, which includes all tokens that have exited their locked state, even those still held by insiders. This means adjusted market cap captures potential sell-side pressure that the standard metric misses.
Why is adjusted market cap usually higher than reported market cap?
Because released supply is always equal to or greater than circulating supply. Released supply includes tokens that are unlocked but still sitting in team, investor, or treasury wallets. These tokens have not entered the open market yet, so CoinGecko does not count them as circulating, but they could be sold at any time.
How do I use the gap between adjusted and reported market cap?
A large gap means significant insider-held unlocked supply exists — tokens that could enter the market and create sell pressure. A narrow gap suggests most released tokens are already circulating. Monitor this spread on Tokenomist's token detail pages over time to anticipate supply-driven price movements.
Where can I find adjusted market cap on Tokenomist?
Adjusted market cap appears in the Fundamentals section of each token detail page, marked with a "Tokenomist Metric" badge to distinguish it from the standard reported market cap. You can also compare adjusted valuations across tokens using the Emission Screener.

Related Terms

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Supply-side analysis for educational purposes. Not financial advice. Verify assumption and precision labels on the relevant token page.
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