Bitcoin dominance hits 61%, but THIS will decide when is altcoin season!

Altcoins have been waiting for their moment all year. Bitcoin [BTC] keeps taking it from them. However, it would seem now that the latter’s market share could decide who wins the next few weeks.

The ‘undeafeated’ Bitcoin

Coinglass’s Altcoin Season Index had a reading of 42 at press time.

Anything above 75 ordinarily counts as altcoin season. This means that the press time reading still leaned towards Bitcoin.

There’s numbers to back this up too. According to CryptoRank, for instance, Bitcoin was up 16.6% over the last 90 days.

Only 31 coins on its list did better!

Bitway [BTW] has risen by about 220%, Quant [QNT] went up 184%, Midnight Network [NIGHT] by 172% and Raydium [RAY] by 152%. Stacks and NEAR also doubled on the price charts.

That’s where the excitement ends though.

A lot of the big names didn’t even keep up with BTC. Solana [SOL], for instance, went up a measly 10% over the same stretch. Binance Coin [BNB] also rose by 10.6%, and Chainlink [LINK] outdid them… with 12%.

So yes, a few altcoins are having a great run. Most of the rest are just watching Bitcoin ride off into the sunset.

Who’s the winner?

At the time of writing, BTC.D was at 60.9%.

On the weekly chart, that’s a range that’s been narrowing for more than a year. The top of that has been sliding since late 2025. The bottom has been going up from around 57%.

Right now, it’s pushing right against the top.

If dominance breaks above 61.5%, Bitcoin will maintain its lead and altcoins will stay stuck in the mud. If it diverges near 61%, that would mean that the latter group will get a little breathing room.

A drop below 58% is where things could really swing towards Ethereum [ETH] and the rest of the market though.

For context, its dominance peaked at about 66% back in mid-2025. We are nowhere near that yet.

Until then, the market should lie in wait. Altcoin holders will really want that rejection at the 61%-level though.

Final Summary

• Only 31 altcoins surpassed Bitcoin’s 16.6% gains over the last 90 days.

• BTC.D at 61% will decide whether altcoins can recover.