Bitcoin dominance holds 60% as altcoin market cap breaks trend
Bitcoin (BTC)
Editor:
Eugene Serbin
ambcrypto.com reports that altcoins are waking up after the market cap of assets outside the top 10 rose by approximately 23%. This move marks the strongest weekly performance in months and breaks a long downtrend from the $150-160 billion support area, which had held for about 1000 days. Total altcoin market cap [TOTAL2] surged above $1 trillion, reaching near $1.03 trillion after adding roughly $215 billion in value between August 19 and 22.
Mid and small-cap assets led this rally, with 56% of Binance-listed altcoins trading above their 200-day moving averages, a sharp increase from the 15%-20% range seen last year. Despite this activity, Bitcoin dominance [BTC.D] remains strong at 60.25%, holding firm around the 60% mark without breaking lower. The report notes that a proper altseason typically requires dominance to fall alongside capital rotation, which has not yet occurred.
Bitcoin and altcoins are currently more closely correlated than in previous cycles. CoinGlass' Altcoin Season Index sits at 36, down from a recent 46, indicating Bitcoin is still in the driver's seat. The index is far from the commonly associated 75 level that signals a full altseason. Ultimately, altcoins are putting up a good fight, but Bitcoin controls the lion's share of the total crypto market.
How the market reacted
Whalio's own Binance spot order flow for BTC, measured when this story was written up on 26 August 2026. Not the outlet's figures.
Bitcoin is trading at $79,023.75 with a 24-hour buy ratio of 49.9%, indicating a near-even split between buyers and sellers. Short-term pressure shows weakness, as the 1-hour buy ratio is 44.7% and the 4-hour ratio is 43.0%, both below the daily average. This suggests that buying pressure is fading in the immediate term compared to the broader 24-hour period. Volume deltas are negative across all timeframes, with -$9,605,302 in the last hour and -$13,495,762 over four hours. The cumulative volume delta for the 24-hour close is -$64,526,673, meaning sellers have outweighed buyers by that amount. Net buying occurred in only 10 of the last 24 hours, with spot volume totaling $1,148,236,056.
The latest daily buy ratio of 46.7% sits at the 18th percentile of the last 322 days, against a median of 49.2% - weaker buying than most days.
Twenty-four hours later
What BTC did over the 24 hours after the story broke. The market moves for its own reasons; this is what happened, not what the story caused.
Was that an ordinary day?
The same Binance spot measurements for BTC, averaged over the days leading up to the story.
This trading day appears quieter than the preceding week, where the average buy ratio was 51.6%. The current 24-hour buy ratio of 49.9% is 1.7 percentage points lower than the weekly average, indicating reduced buying interest. Spot volume is also subdued, running at 0.54 times the weekly average volume. While the previous week saw net buying on 6 of 7 days with a total volume delta of +$445,688,281, today shows a net outflow. Price rose 14.0% over the prior 8 days, but today's flow suggests a pause in that momentum.