What is altcoin season?
It starts at 75.

What is altcoin season?

Altcoins are every coin other than bitcoin, from ether, SOL and Dogecoin to thousands of small tokens. Altcoin season is a stretch when most altcoins outperform bitcoin and money rotates out of bitcoin into other coins.

In altseason many coins multiply within weeks. That is exactly when beginners get pulled in, and when they lose the most: the fastest risers are usually the hardest fallers.

How the altcoin season index works, and where it is now

The index was popularised by Blockchaincenter (Blockchaincenter altcoin season index). Different market sites calculate it in similar ways:

• take the top 50 or top 100 coins, excluding stablecoins and wrapped tokens;
• compare each coin's 90-day return with bitcoin's;
• the share that beats bitcoin is the index. 75+ means altcoin season, 25 or below means “bitcoin season”, and the middle is a transition.

Sources: Spoted Crypto, 24/7 Wall St.. Bottom line: a handful of large altcoins are beating bitcoin; this is not an “everything pumps” altseason yet.

When is altcoin season? Will it come in October?

Past altseasons showed up after a big bitcoin rally, while bitcoin moved sideways: winners took profits from bitcoin and moved them into other coins.

Talk of an “October altseason” mostly comes from the “Uptober” idea. With the index at 64 and bitcoin below its high, nobody can say which month it arrives, and this cycle may never see a 2021-style altseason at all.

How long does altcoin season last?

Much shorter than a bull run. The hottest part of 2021 lasted about three to four months; the late-2024 burst lasted weeks. It usually plays out in three painful stages:

1. Waiting: bitcoin keeps rising, altcoins stay flat, and many people give up and sell;
2. Chasing: altcoins suddenly jump together and beginners pile in;
3. Trapped: bitcoin pulls back and altcoins fall faster than they rose.

Even when altseason does come, the winners are usually people who bought early, in parts, with exit prices set, not people who read the headline and jumped in.

Why are altcoins not pumping? Will they recover?

• Too many coins. Thousands of new tokens launch every day, so money is spread thin.
• Unlock selling. Many projects release tokens on a schedule, and early investors sell as soon as they unlock.
• Big money buys big coins. ETFs and institutions buy bitcoin and a few large coins, not obscure altcoins.
• Thin liquidity. Small coins drop hard on a few sell orders but need a lot of money to rise.

Will altcoins recover? Some will, most won't. After every cycle, more than half of the top 100 drop out, and many never return. Learn bitcoin and ether first; keep any small coins to a small slice.