The altcoin season index crashing to 17 signifies that only 17 of the top 100 altcoins have outperformed bitcoin in the last 90 days. this indicates a widespread altcoin bear market with major altcoins down 30-80% from their all-time highs.
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The extremely low altcoin season index (17) and the underperformance of ethereum (down 28.30% in 90 days) compared to bitcoin (down 21.10%) strongly suggest a bearish trend for the altcoin market.
The index tracks a 90-day performance, and the current low score indicates a sustained period of altcoin underperformance, with expectations for an alt season in 2025 not materializing, suggesting a prolonged bear phase for altcoins.
Reason to trust Strict editorial policy that focuses on accuracy, relevance, and impartiality Created by industry experts and meticulously reviewed The highest standards in reporting and publishing How Our News is Made Strict editorial policy that focuses on accuracy, relevance, and impartiality Ad discliamer Morbi pretium leo et nisl aliquam mollis. Quisque arcu lorem, ultricies quis pellentesque nec, ullamcorper eu odio. There’s been a major shift in profitability since the Bitcoin price crashed from $126,000, and altcoins have borne the brunt of it . With major altcoins down between 30% and 80% from their all-time high values, calls for an altcoin season have gone down drastically. This has been reflected in the performance of the Altcoin Season Index, falling to one of the lowest recorded levels in 2025 as the year draws to an end. Altcoin Season Index Says Losses Are The Order Of The Day The Altcoin Season Index Chart on the CoinMarketCap website, which tracks the performance of altcoins against Bitcoin, has now fallen below 20 again. This index collates the performance of the top 100 altcoins in the market, comparing their 90-day performance to that of Bitcoin, in order to pinpoint whether the market is currently experiencing an altcoin season. Related Reading Bitcoin Price Remains Stuck Inside This Range, But A Breakout Could Follow 14 hours ago The index ranks the performance on a scale of 1-100, depending on how many altcoins out of the top 100 are outperforming Bitcoin , and uses that to score the market. At the time of writing, the Altcoin Season Index was sitting at a score of 17, which means only 17 of the top 100 altcoins have seen a better performance than Bitcoin in the last 90 days. With the index’s score sitting this low, it suggests that altcoins are currently in a bear market. Additionally, Ethereum, which is often the altcoin leader when it comes to an alt season, is still underperforming compared to Bitcoin. The second-largest cryptocurrency has recorded a 28.30% decrease in the last 90 days, while Bitcoin is down 21.10% in comparison. Source: CoinMarketCap How To Know If Altcoins Are In A Bull Run? To know if the altcoin market is experiencing an altcoin season, the index would have to read at a score of 75 or higher. This is when the majority of altcoins are outperforming Bitcoin in a 3-month period, and their combined market cap surpasses that of the leading cryptocurrency. Related Reading Pundit Shares Why XRP Will Become Expensive And A $1,000 Price Tag Is Possible 18 hours ago Scores lower than 75 suggest that the market is yet to enter a full-blown altcoin season , and the lower it goes, the higher the chances that altcoins are experiencing a bear market. However, the higher the Altcoin Season Index score is, nearing 100, the more likely it is that the altcoin market may be experiencing a top. Altcoin seasons are often characterized by rapid increases in price, with 100% rallies on a daily basis being the norm. The last major altcoin season was back in 2021, and while the expectation was that another altcoin season would begin in 2025, this has not been the case. Altcoin market cap continues to trend low | Source: Crypto Total Market Cap Excluding BTC on Tradingview.com Featured image from Dall.E, chart from TradingView.com