Expectations for Altcoin Season in 2026

As we approach 2026, the biggest question on investors' minds is: Will there be an altcoin season? Current market data shows that Bitcoin dominance persists and high risks for altcoins continue. According to CoinMarketCap data, the Altcoin Season Index dropped to 17 this week. In the last 90 days, only 17 of the top 100 assets in the market have performed better than Bitcoin (BTC).

The performance of 2025 is indicative of how far altcoins are from a low-risk appetite. Bitcoin experienced a sharp pullback from its 126,000 dollar record level in October and is currently looking for balance in the 80,000–90,000 dollar range. During this process, while Bitcoin lost about 6 percent of its value throughout 2025, some low-cap tokens faced declines of up to %90 from their peak prices.

Notable figures such as BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes are signaling potential changes in global risk appetite. According to on-chain data, Hayes sold 1,871 Ethereum in the last week for approximately 5.53 million dollars. He then made purchases totaling around 609 thousand dollars in the projects Ethena (ENA), Pendle (PENDLE), and ether.fi (ETHFI). This move is viewed by analysts as a transition strategy.

Four significant altcoins on analysts' radar are as follows: Solana (SOL), which has fallen by 58.6 percent since the January 2025 peak, showing that further price growth could have pricing potential with ecosystem growth. Ethena (ENA) is currently trading at levels of 0.203 dollars and is a significant part of Hayes's portfolio. There are strong growth indicators for Pendle (PENDLE) for the year 2025. ether.fi (ETHFI) has dropped from 1.60 dollars in September to 0.70 dollars and draws attention with its position in the liquid restaking sector.

Another altcoin project that should be closely monitored for 2026 is Minotaurus (MTAUR). Market analysts are assessing long-term growth scenarios of %50 for this project. If investment is made in the project today, a %50 increase from the 0.00020 USDT level could theoretically bring investors to the 3,960 dollar level. As a result, investors should continue to carefully monitor changes in the markets and price movements.