Zcash is up 2,500% in a year. Monero is near its September high. And nobody is talking about either one.

Privacy coins are quietly outperforming while the rest of the market chops sideways.

ZEC trades at $1,368, up 2.1% in 24 hours. XMR sits around $562, up 2.14%. Meanwhile Bitcoin failed its third attempt at $87,000 and slipped back to $85,500.

The catalyst isn't hype. Grayscale's Zcash ETF has pulled in roughly $268M in net inflows since launching in August. That's real institutional money entering a privacy asset — a category most funds won't touch.

ZEC's yearly range tells the story: from roughly $53 to a September high of $1,698. Even after a 19% pullback from that peak, the trend structure remains intact above $1,400 resistance.

Monero's case is different. No ETF. No institutional product. Just consistent demand from users who value untraceable transactions. XMR needs to hold $559 to keep its setup valid.

The interesting part: privacy coins are rallying while altcoin season stalls at 61 on the index — below the 75 threshold that confirms a broad rotation.

That divergence matters. When a niche sector outperforms during a choppy market, it usually means capital is seeking something specific, not just chasing beta.

$ZEC $XMR $BTC

#privacycoins #marketpulse #zcash #monero