Altcoin Season Just Shifted – Traders Flock to Aethir, Mantle, Hyperliquid. Who Gets Left Behind?

The altcoin rotation is accelerating—and three projects are sucking up all the oxygen.

Market Momentum Shifts

Traders are dumping yesterday's winners for infrastructure plays with real utility. Aethir's decentralized GPU network can't keep up with demand, Mantle's modular blockchain stack just onboarded major dApps, and Hyperliquid's perpetual swaps platform saw volume spike 300% in 48 hours.

The Institutional Angle

Hedge funds are quietly building positions while retail still chases meme coins. Smart money recognizes these protocols actually solve problems—unlike the 'vaporware' that dominated last cycle.

FOMO Versus Fundamentals

Latecomers face brutal entry prices now that the smart contracts crowd has arrived. The window for easy gains slammed shut faster than a VC's term sheet.

This rotation separates traders who understand web3 infrastructure from those who still think 'blockchain' is a buzzword for PowerPoint slides.

Aethir (ATH): Volume Expansion Fuels Attention

Aethir is trading NEAR $0.06, with a daily volume above $110 million and a market capitalization of about $742 million. The circulating supply stands at roughly 12.2 billion tokens out of a maximum of 42 billion. The price has gained about 7% in the past day, supported by liquidity flows into centralized exchanges.

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The sudden increase in trading activity has made Aethir a candidate for short-term altseason allocations. Exchange books show more substantial depth than in prior weeks, and ATH has been among the more liquid gaming-related tokens this month. Its infrastructure role in cloud and gaming contexts gives it recurring visibility, which helps maintain turnover once liquidity arrives.

Mantle (MNT): Exchange Support and Layer-2 Demand

Mantle is trading around $1.69, with a market capitalization of nearly $5.5 billion and a daily turnover of more than $500 million. The circulating supply is about 3.25 billion MNT. The price has climbed about 5% in the past 24 hours, extending a multi-week trend that has lifted MNT from the $1.40 range earlier this quarter.

Mantle Price (Source: CoinMarketCap)

The token’s strength comes from steady exchange support and expanded derivatives access. Partnerships with trading venues such as Bybit have encouraged consistent activity, and the project’s positioning as a Layer-2 scaling network has added longer-term appeal.

For traders, MNT combines liquidity with a credible narrative, making it a recurring target when altcoin season rotations look for infrastructure exposure.

Hyperliquid (HYPE): Derivatives Activity and ETF Speculation

Hyperliquid is now trading near $43, with a daily volume between $650 million and $700 million and a market capitalization of about $14.5 billion. The circulating supply stands at around 336 million tokens out of a maximum of 1 billion.

The recent MOVE has been linked to speculation around a potential Hyperliquid spot ETF filing by Bitwise, which drew discussion about institutional entry points.

At the same time, derivatives markets tied to Hyperliquid remain heavily traded, giving the token consistent turnover. While HYPE has pulled back from its recent highs, its open interest across perpetual markets keeps it in focus for traders looking at altseason derivatives plays.

Altcoin Season Outlook

Aethir, Mantle, and Hyperliquid show how altcoin season builds through diverse narratives. Aethir’s rising volume anchors it in gaming-linked trading. Mantle captures capital through its role in scaling and steady exchange support. Hyperliquid remains tied to derivatives activity and speculation about institutional involvement.

This combination illustrates why altseason often moves in stages. Traders respond to liquidity and catalysts, not sector-wide momentum. For now, the flows into these three tokens show where selective participation is shaping the current cycle.