Bitget App
Trade smarter
Buy cryptoMarketsTradeFuturesStocksEarnInstitutionAI & More
Bitcoin goes sideways - still time for the altcoins to run?

Bitcoin goes sideways - still time for the altcoins to run?

CryptodailyCryptodaily2024/01/18 14:01
By:Laurie Dunn

Table of Contents

  • Break of support or another spike up?
  • Total altcoin 09d11d1c-5f35-44af-a196-ea91af76db46 cap respects support
  • Overall picture still unclear

Since early December $BTC has gone sideways. Spot Bitcoin ETFs now approved, the market top for bitcoin could be in, so will there be an altcoin catchup before the whole crypto market descends into a corrective phase?

 

Break of support or another spike up?

Bitcoin goes sideways - still time for the altcoins to run? image 0

Source: Trading View

Judging from the daily chart, $BTC may well have made its market top , at least for this phase of the bull market. The price is still holding above the channel, and is also sitting on the support.

For $BTC to break these supports to the downside would be very bearish, and a deeper correction could be in store. However, the trend remains unbroken as things stand, and there is even a chance that $BTC could make one more attempt at $50,000.

That said, $BTC is currently going sideways, and if this should continue there is a possibility that some value will flow out of the number one cryptocurrency and into the altcoins.

 

Total altcoin market cap respects support

Bitcoin goes sideways - still time for the altcoins to run? image 1

Source: Trading View

Zooming right out on the weekly time frame for the Total3 chart (total market cap of all altcoins, excluding $BTC and $ETH) it can be observed that that support is currently holding . Also, if a trend line is drawn from the top of the bull market in 2017/2018, all the way through to 2024, it can be noted that the market cap of the altcoins respects this, and a recent drawdown bounced from this level.

 

Overall picture still unclear

The current picture does look rather uncertain for the altcoins, with $BTC taking some selling pressure from the Grayscale ETF, and the market in some uncertainty having seen $BTC rejected quite heavily from $49,000.

Regardless, neither $BTC, nor the market cap of the altcoins have broken trend, therefore there is still the possibility that $BTC continues to go sideways, and the altcoins benefit from those wishing to take some of their $BTC chips off the table and invest these profits higher up the risk curve.

In this scenario, ethereum (ETH) would likely be the first beneficiary, and then the major altcoins, before perhaps some distribution into the lower caps. It might be said that this has already been happening, but a true altcoins season , with major price gains for many of the altcoins, could still be a potential occurrence.

 

 

Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

0
0

Disclaimer: The content of this article solely reflects the author's opinion and does not represent the platform in any capacity. This article is not intended to serve as a reference for making investment decisions.

Understand the market, then trade.
Bitget offers one-stop trading for cryptocurrencies, stocks, and gold.
Trade now!

You may also like

Just bet on AI and already faced a market blow! Berkshire reports earnings tonight, Abel faces a major test in his transformation

Greg Abel has been leading Berkshire Hathaway for less than a year, yet he has already made a bet of over $10.9 billion on the AI sector, marking a complete break from Buffett’s traditional avoidance of tech stocks. However, Alphabet’s stock price has fallen below their initial purchase cost, and Bending Spoons continues to decline, putting this bold AI gamble to the test. At the same time, third-quarter earnings per share are expected to drop 6% year-over-year, and the share repurchase program is likely to plummet from $4.5 billion to $1.6 billion. How to deploy $358 billion in cash will be a major challenge for the new leader’s capital allocation skills.

华尔街见闻•2026/11/07 09:11
Just bet on AI and already faced a market blow! Berkshire reports earnings tonight, Abel faces a major test in his transformation

Has the AI bubble burst? Goldman Sachs: It's more like 1998 than 2000 right now

The Goldman Sachs trading desk stated that the current wave of sell-offs resembles the 1998 liquidity crisis more than the bursting of the 2000 bubble. It is a forced deleveraging rather than a refutation of business fundamentals. The market is drastically repricing construction financing and timeline expectations, rather than underlying demand. Moreover, the issues currently drawing the most attention from the market—electricity and licensing—are actually the least important, as limited supply does not equate to disappearing demand. The real question that needs to be answered is whether long-term revenues can ultimately justify the capital invested.

华尔街见闻•2026/11/07 08:26
Has the AI bubble burst? Goldman Sachs: It's more like 1998 than 2000 right now

Tesla Cybertruck: From Cracked Windows to Production Halt, a Three-and-a-Half Year Journey Ends

Since its launch in 2019, Cybertruck has been mired in controversy—ranging from a failed window demonstration on release day, a four-year delay in mass production, and its price rising from $39,900 to more than $100,000, along with a total of 11 recalls. The day before the halt of production was announced, Tesla raised the price once again, bringing a dramatic and intriguing end to the saga of this vehicle.

华尔街见闻•2026/11/07 04:21
Tesla Cybertruck: From Cracked Windows to Production Halt, a Three-and-a-Half Year Journey Ends