A Robust Investment Choice During Market Volatility: An Analysis of Low-Risk Stablecoin Yield Products

In April 2025, the global financial markets experienced severe fluctuations. New tariff policies sparked widespread concerns, causing the S&P 500 index to evaporate $5.8 trillion in market value in just four days, marking the largest single-week decline in nearly 70 years. The cryptocurrency market was similarly affected, with Bitcoin prices fluctuating violently in the range of $80,000 to $90,000.

In the face of such a turbulent market environment, how should investors respond? This article will introduce four low-risk income products based on stablecoins, providing investors with some solid choices during this uncertain period.

Spark Saving USDC ( Ethereum )

This product allows users to deposit USDC to earn returns. The returns mainly come from the Sky Savings Rate (SSR), generated through cryptocurrency collateral loan fees, investments in U.S. Treasury bonds, and providing liquidity to other protocols. The USDC deposited by users will be exchanged for USDS at a 1:1 ratio and deposited into the SSR vault to earn returns. The value of the sUSDC token will increase as returns accumulate.

Risk Assessment: Low. USDC, as a mainstream stablecoin, has high stability. This product has undergone multiple audits, and the smart contract risk is low. However, investors still need to pay attention to the potential impact of market volatility on liquidity.

Current annualized yield: approximately 4.11%

Berachain BYUSD|HONEY (Berachain)

This is a BYUSD/HONEY liquidity pool deployed on the Berachain native DEX. Users earn rewards by providing liquidity in BYUSD and HONEY. The main sources of income include BGT rewards (approximately 3.41% APR) and a share of the trading fees within the pool (approximately 0.01% APR). BGT is Berachain's non-transferable governance coin, which can be burned 1:1 for BERA and share the fee income from multiple core dApps.

Risk assessment: Low to moderate. BYUSD and HONEY are both stablecoins, with relatively low price volatility risk. Berachain's consensus mechanism has been audited by authoritative institutions, and the smart contract risk is minimal. However, BGT rewards may fluctuate due to validator allocation and governance decisions.

Current annualized yield: approximately 3.42%

Uniswap V4 USDC-USDT0 Liquidity Pool (Uniswap V4)

Through the Merkl platform, users can provide liquidity to the USDC/USDT pool of Uniswap V4. Uniswap V4 introduces a "hook" mechanism that allows developers to customize pool features, such as dynamic fee adjustments and automatic rebalancing, which is expected to enhance capital efficiency and yield potential.

Source of income: Mainly from UNI token incentives.

Risk Assessment: Low to Moderate. USDC/USDT, as a mainstream stablecoin pair, has lower price volatility risk. However, investors should be aware of smart contract risks and the possibility of declining returns after the incentive period ends.

Current annualized yield: approximately 2.68%

Echelon Market USDC (Aptos)

This product allows users to deposit USDC into the fund pool on the Aptos mainnet to participate in supply. Echelon Market is integrated with the Thala protocol, offering additional thAPT rewards.

Sources of income: including USDC supply interest (5.35%) and Thala's thAPT rewards (3.66%). thAPT is Thala's deposit certificate, which can be exchanged for APT at a 1:1 ratio, with a 0.15% fee charged upon redemption.

Risk assessment: Low to moderate. USDC has high stability, but attention should be paid to the smart contract risks in the Aptos ecosystem and the impact of thAPT redemption fees on returns. Instant exit provides high liquidity, but market volatility may affect the value of thAPT rewards.

Current annualized yield: approximately 9.01%

Summary

During periods of market volatility, low-risk stablecoin yield products may provide investors with a relatively robust option. The four products mentioned above each have their own characteristics, and investors can choose based on their own risk preferences and investment goals. It is important to note that although these products carry relatively lower risks, there are still certain market and technical risks involved. Investors should fully understand the product characteristics, weigh the risk and return, and make informed investment decisions.