"Alt season" (short for altcoin season) refers to a period in the crypto market when altcoins (non-Bitcoin cryptocurrencies) significantly outperform Bitcoin in terms of price gains.
✅ Pre-signs of an Upcoming Alt Season
Here are the common indicators that altcoin season might be approaching:
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1. Bitcoin Dominance Starts Falling
BTC Dominance is the percentage of total crypto market cap held by Bitcoin.
If BTC dominance falls while the total market cap is rising, it often means money is rotating from Bitcoin into altcoins.
📉 Watch for:
BTC Dominance falling below 50%.
Sharp declines in dominance after a BTC rally.
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2. Bitcoin Stabilizes After a Strong Rally
Altcoins usually lag behind BTC during the initial market move.
When BTC cools off or moves sideways after a run, altcoins begin catching up.
📊 This stability gives traders confidence to rotate capital into altcoins.
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3. ETH Starts Outperforming BTC (ETH/BTC ratio rises)
Ethereum is often the first major altcoin to rally before others follow.
The ETH/BTC chart is a key indicator.
📈 A strong ETH/BTC uptrend = altcoins gaining momentum.
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4. DeFi, Layer-2s, and Memecoins Start Pumping
Certain altcoin sectors often lead the charge, such as:
🚀 A surge in these may signal altcoin hype is building.
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5. Increase in Social Media Hype & Google Trends
Rising mentions of altcoins or "alt season" on Twitter, Reddit, Telegram.
Search volume for altcoins surging on Google Trends.
📢 FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) can be a leading sentiment driver.
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6. Low-Cap Gems Start Exploding
When even low-volume or low-cap coins pump 5–10x in a short time, it often marks the early-to-mid stage of alt season.
💥 This is where the real volatility begins.
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✅ Tools to Monitor:
Bitcoin Dominance Chart on TradingView
ETH/BTC Pair
Altcoin Season Index
CoinGecko or CoinMarketCap Sector Gainers