Altcoins rally as bulls pile into large-cap tokens and layer-1 projects

Altcoins rally as bulls pile into large-cap tokens and layer-1 projects

The cryptocurrency market provides investors with another day of 'altseason' as the majority of altcoins in the top 100 on CoinMarketCap rallied today.

Several large-cap tokens reached multi-year highs and this all took place as Bitcoin (BTC) price struggles to hold any of the news-event-driven gains that it has accrued throughout the week. 

Our top trading bots

One of the most notable performances has been put on by Ethereum Classic (ETC), the “unaltered” Ethereum (ETH) fork that has been gaining traction over the past week as its dedication to a proof-of-work consensus mechanism attracts the attention of miners and retail 'Robinhood' investors.

Altcoins rally as bulls pile into large-cap tokens and layer-1 projects
ETC/USDT 4-hour chart. Source: TradingView

Data from Cointelegraph Markets and TradingView shows that after hitting a low at $86.12 in the early trading hours on Thursday, the price of ETC jumped 81% to reach a new all-time high at $179.83 as the 24-hour trading volume spiked to a record $39.1 billion.

Several large-cap cryptocurrencies have seen significant gains recently including, Litecoin (LTC) which hit a one-year high compared to BTC, and a 68% rally in Bitcoin Cash (BCH) which spiked above $1,500 for the first time since May of 2018.

Layer 1 solutions soar as trading volumes increase

Ether also hit a new all-time high at $3,605 as excitement continues to build ahead of the London hard fork and the implementation of EIP-1559, which is expected to take place in July.

Cardano’s ADA token is another top 10 project that saw its price reach a new all-time high at $1.69 and Tezos (XTZ) rallied 23% after the start of the trading day to reach a new record high at $8.05.

Several of the ‘Ethereum Killers’ that arose out of the 2017-2018 bull market saw double-digit gains including EOS, whose price rallied 50% intraday to a peak of $12.57, and Neo (NEO), which spiked to a high above $128 before a general market pullback led to a dip in the majority of prices.

Bitcoin dominance drops to new lows

The steady strength shown from altcoins has led to a steady decline in Bitcoin dominance over the past month, which dropped to a low of 45.25% on May 6. According to analysts, this is yet another sign that an altcoin season is in full effect.

Altcoins rally as bulls pile into large-cap tokens and layer-1 projects
BTC market cap dominance 4-hour chart. Source: TradingView

While institutions appear to heavily favor Bitcoin and to a lesser degree Ether, retail traders have been drawn to lower-priced tokens that offer the possibility of larger gains, as evidenced by the recent price explosion in Dogecoin (DOGE).

If this trend continues, it's likely that Bitcoin's dominance rate could continue to slide lower as new funds coming into the cryptocurrency ecosystem through stablecoins are more widely distributed.

The overall cryptocurrency market cap now stands at $2.346 trillion and Bitcoin’s dominance rate is 45.5%.

The views and opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cointelegraph.com. Every investment and trading move involves risk, you should conduct your own research when making a decision.

Continue reading about Cointelegraph
Central Bank of Russia issues digital asset license to Sberbank in apparent policy reversal
Less than two weeks after the Central Bank of Russia, or CBR, reiterated its position proposing to ban the issuance, mining and circulation of cryptocurrencies...
Top 5 cryptocurrencies to watch this week: BTC, NEAR, ATOM, FTM, FTT
Bitcoin (BTC) has stopped its decline and is attempting a recovery along with select altcoins. Some traders have been fearing a massive sell-off in Bitcoin...
Moneygram buys 4% stake in crypto ATM operator Coinme
Money transmission network MoneyGram now has a minority investment in crypto ATM operator Coinme following a Series A funding round.In a Wednesday announcement,...
German savings banks want to enable Bitcoin for 50M clients
German savings banks are planning to allow customers to invest in major digital currencies like Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) directly from checking accounts.Savings...
Bitwise CIO ‘not so sure’ about Bitcoin hitting $100K in 2021
As 2022 draws closer, some cryptocurrency investment experts are doubtful about whether Bitcoin (BTC) has enough time to hit $100,000 in 2021.Following...
1 million Shiba Inu users can't be wrong... can they?
Shiba Inu (SHIB) has reached an adoption milestone by surpassing the 1 million holders mark — even though the memecoin is trading 50% below its all-time...
VanEck Bitcoin Strategy ETF launch day volume a fraction of BITO's
The VanEck Bitcoin Strategy ETF (XBTF) closed its first day of trading on Nov. 16 with "respectable" trading volume, but one that pales in comparison to...
Sotheby's will take ETH bids in real time for Banksy auction
Prestigious auction house Sotheby’s has announced it will accept Ethereum (ETH) bids in real time for its Nov. 18 auction that includes works by famed street...
Epic welcomes blockchain games but don't expect any Fortnite NFTs
Gaming platforms are choosing sides on blockchain, cryptocurrencies and nonfungible tokens (NFTs) within their respective ecosystems. Following reports...
Q3 saw significant crypto market recovery from May crash, says new report
Cryptocurrency data aggregator CoinGecko has released its Q3 2021 report showing massive gains across several crypto market sectors.Following the May market...
Uniswap taps former Obama campaign spokesperson to handle comms
Decentralized exchange Uniswap has been making some interesting hires, the latest being a communications expert with close ties to the U.S. Democrat party.Former...
Bitcoin attacks last resistance before $50K with BTC price daily close now crucial
Bitcoin (BTC) climbed to new multi-month highs later on Aug. 20 as an extended rebound took hold of crypto markets.BTC/USD 1-day candle chart (Bitstamp)....
Biden’s infrastructure bill doesn’t undermine crypto’s bridge to the future
It was a topsy turvy week — “staggering,” a crypto veteran called it. One that saw United States Senator Ted Cruz and Senator Ron Wyden collaborate on behalf...
Bullish all the way? MicroStrategy doubles down on its Bitcoin bet
There’s never a dull day when it comes to crypto as was exemplified recently when the digital asset market dipped by around 50%, eventually taking the total...
Price analysis 3/29: BTC, ETH, BNB, ADA, DOT, XRP, UNI, THETA, LTC, LINK
On Monday Visa announced that it had launched a pilot program with Crypto.com to enable its partners to settle fiat transactions by sending USD Coin (USDC)...