In the crypto market today, the repairs from last week were turned into an acceleration. Bitcoin continued to surge from around 81,000, reaching about $85,000–$85,200 intraday—its highest level since January this year and also a new high in the past eight to nine months. It then pulled back to the $83,000–$85,000 range. Ethereum touched about $2,700–$2,750. The total market capitalization rose to roughly $2.87 trillion to $2.93 trillion. The drivers were straightforward: short liquidations, ETF inflows returning, and a recovery in risk appetite. From the low of about $75,000 last Wednesday, Bitcoin has risen by roughly $10,000 over five days.
Mainstream: 80,000 has become a springboard, not a ceiling
Bitcoin’s weekly chart has reclaimed the 50-week moving average. Some research treats this close as the first time in about 45 weeks—interpreting it as a technical signal for a bear-market bottom. The stronger underpinning is spot flows: on the 18th, Bitcoin ETFs saw net inflows of about $433 million, and Ethereum/Solana products also turned positive at the same time. Oil prices pulled back, and risk appetite in US stocks improved, providing an external tailwind for crypto. Total liquidations topped $700 million across the day; shorts made up about 65%, with Bitcoin shorts contributing the most. This kind of pull is fast, direct, and volume amplifying—classic short-squeeze behavior, not a slow bull that climbs under cover.
Ethereum’s upside momentum is better than last week’s—$2,700 is a multi-week high. Solana is around $112 to $116, and on the weekly chart it remains the strongest among the mainstream names. BNB is about $776 to $780. XRP is roughly $1.42 to $1.49; it bounced off the $1.40 support, and while the shadow of regulatory votes is still there, short-term capital is no longer just dumping it. Bitcoin dominance is still high at about 59%. The market is still taking cues from BTC, while altcoins are mainly catching up with BTC and rotating in localized bursts.
Support first to look at is 81k to 80k; resistance is around 85k. Only above that can you start facing earlier intra-year highs. The weekend volume is thin and Monday’s is thick—85k needs consecutive closes to confirm, otherwise it easily turns into a wick/upper shadow.
Altcoin hot spots: privacy coins haven’t left—public chains and high-beta picks are taking over
Zcash is still the most story-worthy pick in the large/mid-cap space. Its price is roughly $1,510 to $1,570. On the weekly chart, it’s still far ahead of Bitcoin, and its market cap remains solid in the top ten. There’s no sign the catalysts have faded: institutional holdings, shorter block times, the NU7 timeline, and Grayscale products drawing in flows. Monero is even stronger today—some quotes are showing double-digit gains, and the privacy sector is being repriced as a group. One trader closed out a ZEC short at a loss to stop out, suggesting this move line is already crowded, and any pullback may be larger than Bitcoin’s.
The second line is public chains and high-beta assets. NEAR commonly swings around twenty percentage points intraday. AVAX benefits from tokenization of securities and upgrade expectations, and its weekly chart shows strong elasticity. SUI, SEI, TAO, and RENDER are also being swept up as capital spreads out. HYPE continues to enjoy the premium of trading infrastructure. UNI and ARB fall under DeFi and L2s, riding the uptrend. The altcoin season index has been lifted from a very low level to about 45 to 50, suggesting rotations have begun—but it hasn’t yet reached the 75 threshold for a full-blown altcoin bull.
The third line is a thin-liquidity, high-volatility pulse. MemeCore and various micro-caps have exaggerated gains, but their volume and persistence don’t match the mid/large-cap market. This kind of stock only shows leverage is back—it can’t be the main line.
How to read today’s rise
This is the second wave after the rate-hike bearishness has been fully digested, combined with a short squeeze and ETF inflows. Macros haven’t suddenly turned looser; the next rate-hike window is still on, and CLARITY hasn’t been achieved either. The fact that 85k shorts can be stepped on shows risk appetite can recover quickly—but it doesn’t prove that the trend near all-time highs has already restarted. It’s still far from about 126k in October 2025. Among altcoins, only those with independent catalysts can outperform; the rest are still just BTC beta. If it loses 81k, the acceleration phase ends. Only by holding 85k and seeing volume expand can you start talking about a trend upgrade.