In the bull market, altcoins will have already gone up and you would end up buying at the top, so it is tough choice and a difficult to make one. Once in the bear market, it is difficult to predict which coin will be going to the top in the next bull run - this ends up becoming a gamble. If someone is willing to take the risk, allocate funds separately for altcoin trading and bitcoin trading with strict rules to not mix the two. The altcoins are going to be a risky move to make while bitcoin is way safer if bought in the bear market.

There is definite potential for altcoins to generate benefits for investors. But this will happen only if the project actually has an inherent market making capability along with a good team and ongoing development. Difficult for them to compete in the mainstream market.