🚀 Altcoins Surge Like Rockets, Yet Bitcoin’s Throne Stands Firm – What’s Next?

While Ethereum, Solana, and other altcoins post double-digit gains this week, Bitcoin's market dominance hasn't budged below 42%. The king isn't surrendering its crown—yet.

### The Altcoin Party No One Saw Coming

DeFi tokens and layer-1 projects are mooning on speculative inflows, with some outperforming BTC by 3x this month. Retail's back in force—just in time for the next 'rug pull season,' some hedge fund managers whisper.

### Bitcoin: The Unshaken Giant

Despite altcoin mania, BTC's institutional holdings hit a new ATH. BlackRock's spot ETF alone added 8,742 BTC last week. 'Digital gold' narrative trumps 'shitcoin casino' once again.

### The Cynic's Corner

Wall Street still can't decide whether crypto is the future of finance or a greater fool theory playground. Meanwhile, traders keep printing money—until they don't.

Declining Bitcoin Dominance Typically Signals Start of Altseason

Traditionally, a decline in Bitcoin dominance signals the start of an “altseason,” where altcoins gain market share.

However, the current surge in altcoins without a significant drop in Bitcoin dominance may indicate fresh capital flowing into the entire crypto ecosystem rather than a shift away from Bitcoin.

Among the top performers over the past week, MemeCore (M) led with a staggering 1,263% rally, followed by Mog Coin (MOG) up 75% and stellar (XLM) rising 67%, according to CoinMarketCap data.

Ether (ETH), the second-largest cryptocurrency, increased by 17.68% over the same period, with the ETH/BTC ratio climbing 8.39%, reinforcing traders’ expectations of a growing focus on altcoins.

However, CoinMarketCap’s Altcoin Season Index still reads “Bitcoin Season,” with a score of 29 out of 100, indicating that Bitcoin remains the dominant market driver.

Yet, traders like Michaël van de Poppe, founder of MN Trading Capital, believe the market is approaching the “final easy and biggest bull ever on Altcoins.”

“Trading Altcoins is difficult, that’s why the downwards corrections are extremely challenging and the upwards returns enormous,” he said.

Cases like $OMNI are basically the reason why I tend to be into positions early.

Especially if I'm willing to go full risk-on (I assume that we're about to witness the final easy and biggest bull ever on #Altcoins), then I'd rather want to be early than buying after such a move.…

Data from on-chain analytics firm Santiment also supports this view, confirming that altcoin season has started.

Santiment added that as long as Bitcoin holds above key psychological support NEAR $110,000, traders will likely continue reallocating profits into altcoins, fueling further growth in the broader crypto market.

Bitcoin Surpasses Silver in Market Cap

Bitcoin’s market capitalization has surged past silver’s, reaching $2.34 trillion after the cryptocurrency hit a fresh all-time high above $118,000.

The milestone places Bitcoin sixth among the world’s largest assets, surpassing silver’s $2.16 trillion market cap, according to Companies Market Cap data.

Bitcoin is closing in on the top five assets, with Amazon’s $2.37 trillion market cap now within reach.

Behind Bitcoin and silver are tech giants Google and Meta, valued at $1.15 trillion and $1.79 trillion, respectively.

However, gold remains the dominant asset with a massive $22.6 trillion market cap. NVIDIA, Microsoft, and Apple follow, holding market caps in the $3 to $4 trillion range, well ahead of Bitcoin for now.

Institutional demand has been a key driver, supporting Bitcoin’s consolidation above $100,000 before its recent price surge.

Mercuryo CEO Petr Kozyakov noted that institutional interest continues to push Bitcoin’s value higher, underscoring its rising appeal as a store of value alongside altcoins like Ethereum, which recently surpassed $3,000.