Yesterday, Bitcoin began a new round of strong upward momentum, driving the prices of various high-performing altcoins higher. Many hope this will end Bitcoin's previous prolonged downturn. On October 6, Bitcoin reached an all-time high of $126,080 before starting to decline. In the following weeks, Bitcoin's price dropped to a seven-month low of $82,000 on November 21.
Yesterday, the cryptocurrency market as a whole rose by 6%, with a total market capitalization reaching about $3.24 trillion. Today's momentum has slowed, with an intraday increase of only 0.7% to $3.27 trillion, but cryptocurrency bulls hope this is just a pullback point, rather than a real retreat.
Additionally, during a bull market, Bitcoin's dominance is likely to be replaced by strong altcoins. Therefore, considering this, here are the reasons why XRP, Pepe, and Zcash are currently the most worthwhile cryptocurrencies to buy.
XRP ($XRP): Driving innovation in global settlement systems.
Ripple (XRP) dominates the cross-border settlement space due to its fast transaction throughput and low fees. Ripple positions the XRP ledger as an on-chain alternative to traditional banking payment systems like SWIFT.
Reports from organizations such as the United Nations Capital Development Fund and the White House have drawn attention to Ripple (XRP), while an increasing list of fintech partners has also helped XRP solidify its position as the third-largest non-stablecoin, with a market cap exceeding $131 billion.
Ripple has launched the dollar-backed stablecoin RLUSD, marking the official launch of the company's ambitious plan to lead the next generation of international payments. On the XRPL platform, each RLUSD transfer will destroy a small amount of XRP, gradually reducing the supply of XRP and strengthening the connection between XRP's utility and its long-term valuation.
This year, after a five-year legal battle with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), XRP finally broke through and reached a new high of $3.65 in July. However, its current price is about $2.17, having fallen 40% from that peak.
XRP's Relative Strength Index (RSI) is currently at 54, and price movement is generally in line with the 30-day moving average, indicating that it is regaining strength. Recently launched XRP ETFs in the U.S. are expected to trigger a wave of institutional demand during the Christmas season.
More ETFs are expected to be approved, and if Congress passes comprehensive cryptocurrency legislation by the end of the year, many analysts believe XRP could reach $10 or higher by 2026.
Pepe the Frog (PEPE): The most recognizable frog on the internet is trending again.
Pepe ($PEPE) debuted in April 2023 and quickly climbed the meme coin rankings, thanks to the popularity of the character from Matt Furie's hit comic (Boy's Club) worldwide.
The token currently has a market cap of over $2 billion and enjoys broad cultural recognition. Elon Musk even once changed his X avatar to a Pepe meme, sparking speculation about his potential holdings of the token. It is well-known that he holds Bitcoin and Dogecoin.
PEPE is currently priced at approximately $0.0000048, and after a slow summer and a sluggish fourth quarter, its price is nearly 83% lower than the high of $0.00002803 at the end of 2024.
As the RSI indicator climbs above 67, it appears that buying momentum before the weekend is strengthening.
Currently, Pepe's valuation is hovering around its lowest point in nearly two years; for those looking to experience high growth potential meme coins in the next bull market, the current valuation presents a strategic entry point.
Market expectations are that clearer guidance on U.S. regulatory policy will be issued, which may boost investor interest in cryptocurrencies. In this environment, PEPE is expected to gain enough momentum to return to its historical highs by the end of the year.
Zcash (ZEC): A privacy pioneer, with a price increase of over 1400% in 12 months.
Zcash ($ZEC), launched in 2016, is a privacy-focused fork of Bitcoin and remains one of the most advanced privacy coins on the market.
ZEC employs zk-SNARKs (Zero-Knowledge Cryptography), an advanced zero-knowledge cryptographic technique that verifies transactions without revealing the sender, receiver, or transaction details. Users can choose between transparent addresses or shielded addresses, providing flexibility for privacy advocates and compliance.
Zcash has surged 377% over the past year. It is currently trading at around $362, with a market capitalization of approximately $6 billion, making ZEC account for just over a third of the privacy coin industry's total market cap of about $16 billion.
Zcash's Relative Strength Index (RSI) is close to 48 and continues to climb, with weekend buying momentum likely to strengthen, pushing prices up in the short term. If the December trend is bullish, Zcash is expected to easily break through the $2500 mark by the end of the year.
