{"id":"altseason","hidden":false,"ipfs":"QmYWbG82Uct9WHFf3zYpsRmQ4Z8oWRcP5RcRNWfnUc9B37","language":"en","transactionHash":"0x4c692cc7e2e4106d4e29c70ed97fff3722b9a29506eb297322712efb95d16cdc","created":"2026-09-11T14:24:46.956Z","updated":"2026-09-11T14:24:46.956Z","title":"Altseason","summary":"Altseason is a glossary term that denotes a period when alternative cryptocurrencies (altcoins) significantly outperform Bitcoin, typically driven by capital rotation from BTC into altcoins and a decline in Bitcoin dominance.","content":"**Altseason** (short for \"[altcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/altcoin) season\") is a phase of the [cryptocurrency](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency) market cycle during which alternative cryptocurrencies — all [digital assets](https://iq.wiki/wiki/digital-assets) other than [Bitcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitcoin), collectively called \"[altcoins](https://iq.wiki/wiki/altcoin)\" — rise in price more aggressively than [Bitcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitcoin) and, in aggregate, outperform it.[[1]](#cite-id-3k88l00abg)​[[2]](#cite-id-1x61oabtfr) \n\nThe term describes a shift in investor focus in which capital rotates away from [Bitcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitcoin) and into [altcoins](https://iq.wiki/wiki/altcoin), so that Bitcoin's growth slows in relative terms even though its price does not necessarily fall.[[1]](#cite-id-3k88l00abg) \n\nAltseasons are characterized by large gains and high volatility, and they typically unfold over a relatively brief window of weeks or months before altcoin prices can retreat as quickly as they rose.[[3]](#cite-id-wrwe3aep8i)​\n\n## How It Works\n\nThe mechanism behind an altseason begins with [Bitcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitcoin). After a strong rally, [Bitcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitcoin) often stabilizes or trades sideways, and this stagnation prompts investors to swap [Bitcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitcoin) for [altcoins](https://iq.wiki/wiki/altcoin), reducing Bitcoin's share of the total crypto [market capitalization](https://iq.wiki/wiki/market-capitalization).[[3]](#cite-id-wrwe3aep8i) \n\nAs [altcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/altcoin) prices and altcoin-season indices trend upward, fear of missing out — commonly abbreviated FOMO — draws in further investment, creating a cascading effect that amplifies [altcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/altcoin) price rises for a limited period.[[3]](#cite-id-wrwe3aep8i) \n\nDuring bullish market conditions, investors with larger pools of capital become more willing to allocate to riskier assets, and this optimism feeds the rotation.[[1]](#cite-id-3k88l00abg)​\n\n​[Trust Wallet](https://iq.wiki/wiki/trust-wallet) identifies three core contributing factors: bullish market sentiment that pushes investors toward riskier assets; developments within the altcoin space itself, such as new project launches, platform upgrades, and innovative solutions; and decreasing Bitcoin dominance, in which the combined market value of altcoins comes to represent a larger share of the total market.[[1]](#cite-id-3k88l00abg) \n\nThe company offers a localized example: a highly anticipated launch of a [decentralized finance (DeFi)](https://iq.wiki/wiki/defi) protocol on an altcoin [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) can attract significant investment and drive that coin's price up, producing a narrower rally even outside a full market-wide altseason.[[1]](#cite-id-3k88l00abg)​\n\nMore recent analyses stress the role of liquidity rather than a simple Bitcoin-to-altcoin rotation. Ki Young Ju, chief executive of the analytics firm CryptoQuant, has argued that altcoin trading volume against [stablecoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stablecoin) pairs and rising [stablecoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stablecoin) liquidity — through assets such as [Tether (USDT)](https://iq.wiki/wiki/tether) and USD Coin ([USDC](https://iq.wiki/wiki/usdc)) — now play a critical role in driving altcoin seasons, describing [stablecoins](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stablecoin) as \"the backbone of modern altcoin markets\" and increasing stablecoin liquidity as \"fostering broader altcoin adoption.\"[[2]](#cite-id-1x61oabtfr)​\n\n### Indicators\nThe most commonly cited signal is the [Bitcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitcoin) Dominance Index, which measures [Bitcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitcoin)'s [market capitalization](https://iq.wiki/wiki/market-capitalization) as a share of the total crypto market. A sustained decline in this metric, combined with rising [altcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/altcoin) prices, is treated as a strong sign an altseason may be forming; [Trust Wallet](https://iq.wiki/wiki/trust-wallet) and [KuCoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/kucoin) both note that altseason often occurs when Bitcoin dominance falls below 50%.[[1]](#cite-id-3k88l00abg)​[[2]](#cite-id-1x61oabtfr) \n\nThe analyst Rekt Capital regards Bitcoin dominance as a critical forecasting metric, observing that a sharp decline below 50% has historically been a reliable altseason signal.[[2]](#cite-id-1x61oabtfr) For the current cycle, some analysts have instead flagged a confirmed break below 55% Bitcoin dominance as the key inflection threshold, arguing that a sustained hold below that level is needed to confirm a broad rotation.[[3]](#cite-id-wrwe3aep8i)​\n\nA second widely used tool is [Blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) Center's Altseason Index, which measures the performance of the top 50 [altcoins](https://iq.wiki/wiki/altcoin) relative to Bitcoin; a reading above 75 is interpreted as indicating altseason.[[2]](#cite-id-1x61oabtfr) Analysts caution, however, that the index is reactionary and may register an altseason only after it has already begun.[[3]](#cite-id-wrwe3aep8i) \n\nAdditional signals include a rising ETH/BTC ratio, rising [altcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/altcoin) trading volumes — particularly in altcoin-stablecoin pairs — social-media trends such as hashtags and influencer discussion that signal retail interest, and a broad shift in market sentiment from fear to greed.[[2]](#cite-id-1x61oabtfr)​[[3]](#cite-id-wrwe3aep8i) \n\nSeveral sources note that these indicators are not foolproof and are best combined with broader context.[[1]](#cite-id-3k88l00abg)​\n\n## Historical Altseasons\nThe first significant wave of [altcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/altcoin) growth began on March 1, 2017, when [Bitcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitcoin) dominance stood at roughly 96%; within less than a year, by January 5, 2018, dominance had fallen to about 36%, meaning [Bitcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitcoin) ceded roughly 60% of its market share to [altcoins](https://iq.wiki/wiki/altcoin).\n\nThe combined [altcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/altcoin) [market capitalization](https://iq.wiki/wiki/market-capitalization) — tracked by the TOTAL2 index, which measures the market cap of the top 125 coins excluding Bitcoin — reached about $470 billion. That first major altseason lasted 310 days and represented an increase of around $470 billion in TOTAL2, described as a 56,425% rise, or roughly 564 times its starting value.[[4]](#cite-id-4jcjq3qzih) \n\n​[KuCoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/kucoin) dates a similar period from late 2017 to early 2018, reporting that Bitcoin dominance fell from 87% to 32% while the total crypto market cap rose from $30 billion to over $600 billion before ending amid regulatory crackdowns and failed projects.[[2]](#cite-id-1x61oabtfr) \n\n​[Tangem](https://iq.wiki/wiki/tangem) reports that Bitcoin's own price fell from a then-record high above $20,000 to below $6,000 within a few months as the episode unwound.[[3]](#cite-id-wrwe3aep8i)​\n\nThe 2020–2021 cycle brought the second observed global altseason. \n\n[Binance](https://iq.wiki/wiki/binance)'s analysis reports that Bitcoin dominance peaked at around 73% and began a slow decline on January 3, 2021, and that the TOTAL2 index peaked on November 10, 2021, coinciding exactly with Bitcoin's own price peak. This altseason lasted 309 days — almost identical to the first — and saw TOTAL2 rise by about $1.5 trillion, a 650% increase.[[4]](#cite-id-4jcjq3qzih) \n\n[KuCoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/kucoin) reports that during 2021 Bitcoin dominance fell from 70% to 38%, altcoins' market share rose from 30% to 62%, and the total market cap reached an all-time high of over $3 trillion, in a period marked by booms in DeFi, NFTs, and [memecoins](https://iq.wiki/wiki/memecoins).[[2]](#cite-id-1x61oabtfr) \n\n[Tangem](https://iq.wiki/wiki/tangem) notes the Altseason Index hit 98 on April 16, 2021, and links the era to the coronavirus pandemic, the rise of meme coins such as [Dogecoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/dogecoin) and [Shiba Inu](https://iq.wiki/wiki/shiba-inu), and NFTs.[[3]](#cite-id-wrwe3aep8i)​\n\nThe 2023–2025 period is described as featuring several strong phases of altcoin outperformance that did not match the breadth or duration of 2017 or 2021. \n\n[KuCoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/kucoin) attributes bullish sentiment across late 2023 and mid-2024 to optimism around the April 2024 Bitcoin [halving](https://iq.wiki/wiki/halving) and the prospect of spot [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum) exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and reports rallies in altcoins including [Arweave](https://iq.wiki/wiki/arweave), [JasmyCoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/jasmycoin), dogwifhat, Worldcoin, and [Fetch.ai](https://iq.wiki/wiki/fetchai), alongside sector-specific rallies in artificial-intelligence tokens such as Render and [Akash Network](https://iq.wiki/wiki/akash-network) — with claimed surges exceeding 1,000% — GameFi platforms ImmutableX and Ronin, and [memecoins](https://iq.wiki/wiki/memecoins).[[2]](#cite-id-1x61oabtfr) \n\nThe [Solana](https://iq.wiki/wiki/solana) ecosystem is singled out for a memecoin boom driven by launch platforms such as [pump.fun](https://iq.wiki/wiki/pumpfun), producing parabolic runs in tokens including WIF and [BONK](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bonk) and, later, celebrity- and AI-themed [memecoins](https://iq.wiki/wiki/memecoins); KuCoin reports [Solana](https://iq.wiki/wiki/solana)'s token rose 945% during the period, reversing an earlier \"dead-chain\" reputation.[[3]](#cite-id-wrwe3aep8i)​[[2]](#cite-id-1x61oabtfr)​\n\nDespite Bitcoin reaching a new price high after the April 2024 [halving](https://iq.wiki/wiki/halving), analysts note that a broad, index-confirmed altseason similar to 2017 or 2021 had not occurred by September 2026.[[5]](#cite-id-85e3xatmew) Bitcoin dominance has generally remained in the high‑50% to around 60% range, while [Blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) Center’s Altcoin Season Index has mostly oscillated in the 30s and 40s, below the 75 threshold used to define an altseason.[[3]](#cite-id-wrwe3aep8i)​[[5]](#cite-id-85e3xatmew) Analysts increasingly attribute the absence of a classic broad altseason in this cycle to structural factors, including spot Bitcoin and [Ethereum ETFs](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum-etfs) that channel a large share of institutional flows into a few major assets and an expanded universe of tens of millions of tokens that disperses capital across a much larger long tail of altcoins.[[3]](#cite-id-wrwe3aep8i)​[[5]](#cite-id-85e3xatmew)\n\n## Risks\nEvery source that discusses altseason pairs its upside with substantial risk. \n\n​[Altcoins](https://iq.wiki/wiki/altcoin) are more volatile than [Bitcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitcoin) and present high-risk, high-reward scenarios in which prices can fall as fast as they rise.[[3]](#cite-id-wrwe3aep8i)​[[1]](#cite-id-3k88l00abg) [KuCoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/kucoin) catalogs additional hazards: higher trading costs from wide price spreads in illiquid [altcoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/altcoin) markets, hype and speculation inflating valuations, scams and \"[rug pulls](https://iq.wiki/wiki/rug-pull)\" in which developers abandon a project after raising funds, pump-and-dump schemes, and regulatory changes that can disrupt markets.[[2]](#cite-id-1x61oabtfr) \n\nRegulation has cut both ways historically: crackdowns on initial coin offerings (ICOs) in late 2018 and stricter exchange guidelines increased volatility and dampened altseason fervor, while the approval of spot [Bitcoin ETFs](https://iq.wiki/wiki/bitcoin-etfs) by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission encouraged institutional investment.[[2]](#cite-id-1x61oabtfr) \n\nAnalysts emphasize that participating in altseasons requires disciplined risk management to avoid substantial losses.","recentActivity":null,"operator":{"id":"0x1E23b34d3106F0C1c74D17f2Cd0F65cdb039b138"},"categories":[{"id":"glossary","title":"Glossary"}],"tags":[],"images":[{"id":"QmRXF8kcmBDdm2xFYUxPK9edasaCb86DH46UTHzurp11og","type":"image/jpeg, 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It’s Structurally Broken. Here’s the Data.\",\"timestamp\":1789245565840}]"},{"id":"previous_cid","value":"QmYWbG82Uct9WHFf3zYpsRmQ4Z8oWRcP5RcRNWfnUc9B37"},{"id":"commit-message","value":"Expand Altseason wiki: +110 words and updated timeline"},{"id":"previous_cid","value":"QmYWbG82Uct9WHFf3zYpsRmQ4Z8oWRcP5RcRNWfnUc9B37"}],"user":{"id":"0x8af7a19a26d8fbc48defb35aefb15ec8c407f889"},"author":{"id":"0x1E23b34d3106F0C1c74D17f2Cd0F65cdb039b138"},"views":28}