Bitcoin Dominance Wanes in the Wake of Crypto Market Turmoil

Geopolitical tensions trigger crypto market chaos as Bitcoin dominance falls, fueling altseason speculation.

Guy sitting on the bed dissapointed with the bitcoin.
Created by Kornelija Poderskytฤ— from DailyCoin
  • Conflict between Iran and Israel sent crypto markets tumbling.
  • Markets bounced back on Monday, but Bitcoin dominance unexpectedly fell.
  • Contradictory calls on the arrival of altseason exist.

The crypto markets were sent reeling over the weekend as geopolitical tensions in the Middle East reached a boiling point. In a tit-for-tat escalation, Iran launched a retaliatory drone and missile attack on Israel, responding to the April 1 bombing of the Iranian embassy in Syria, which Tehran had blamed Israel for.

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The crypto markets, ever sensitive to macro events, reacted with a swift and brutal sell-off, as the total crypto market cap plunged over 15%, and many coins were hit with double-digit percentage losses. With markets bouncing back from the carnage on Monday, Bitcoin dominance took an unexpected fall. 

Bitcoin Dominance Takes a Dip

Crypto investors tend to flock to the perceived safety of Bitcoin in times of market carnage. While the latest turmoil saw Bitcoin dominance spike to 57.02% on Saturday evening (UTC,) marking a 158-week high, this uptick soon fizzled out, dropping to as low as 55.27% by Monday, against expectations. 

Bitcoin dominance daily chart showing falling market dominance per Trading View.
Bitcoin Dominance daily chart per Trading View

This puzzling development caught the attention of X influencer Crypto Phoenix, who concluded that Bitcoin may have hit its pre-halving peak during the weekend sell-off, signaling that the start of the long-awaited altcoin season could be close by.

Bitcoin dominance analysis by Crypto Phoenix suggesting altseason is near.
Bitcoin Dominance analysis by Crypto Phoenix

This was echoed by Altcoin โ‚ณardvark, who drew similar conclusions about Bitcoin dominance, adding that the situation with altcoins is โ€œalready gravy out there, and itโ€™s about to get a whole lot better.โ€

However, the altseason calls from Crypto Phoenix, and Altcoin โ‚ณardvark contradicts the Altseason Index from the Blockchain Center.

Itโ€™s Closer to Bitcoin Season 

While the decline in Bitcoin dominance has stoked excitement about the potential onset of altcoin season, Blockchain Centerโ€™s Altseason Index shows the market is closer to Bitcoin season than it is to altseason.

The Altseason Index, which defines an altseason as a period where 75% of the top 50 altcoins outperform Bitcoin over the last 90 days, currently sits at a reading of 41% of large caps, outperforming the market leader. The weekend turmoil saw the Altseason Index dip as low as 25%, but a strong bounce suggests that markets do not expect an escalation of tensions between Iran and Israel.

Altseason Index showing markets are closer to Bitcoin season per Blockchain Center.
Altseason Index per Blockchain Center

The top three performing altcoins over the last 90 days were WIF, FET, and AR. They posted gains of 928%, 238%, and 189%, respectively, far outpacing Bitcoin’s 57% growth over the same period.

On the Flipside

  • The crypto bounce has yet to fully recover the losses triggered by the weekend turmoil.
  • BTC dominance has not dipped below 39% since May 2018.

Why This Matters

The conflict-led market sell-off and subsequent dip in Bitcoin dominance demonstrates the highly changeable nature of cryptocurrency investing. Although Bitcoin dominance decreased over the weekend, the possibility of an imminent altcoin season seems distant.

Read about the last significant pullback in Bitcoin dominance here:
Altcoins Poised to Explode as Bitcoin Dominance Wanes?

NEO leads the top 100 cryptos after weekend carnage. Read more here: 
NEO Leads Crypto Market Bounce Post-Weekend Crash

This article is for information purposes only and should not be considered trading or investment advice. Nothing herein shall be construed as financial, legal, or tax advice. Trading forex, cryptocurrencies, and CFDs pose a considerable risk of loss.

Author
Samuel Wan

Samuel Wan is a reporter at DailyCoin covering market affairs. Samuel's has holdings in Bitcoin and Cardano, with other minor holdings across the market.

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