Meme Coin Surge: Increases are Short and Speculative

In the early days of 2026, the sharp rises witnessed in the meme coin market indicate that investors' speculative appetite has revived. However, analyses have highlighted that this movement carries a short-term nature and a high volatility risk. In the first week of the new year, the meme coin market gained notable momentum, especially with the increases seen in dog-themed tokens, indicating that investors are returning to high-risk assets.

Market participants believe that the "meme season" discussions, which have resurfaced on social media, support this movement. According to CoinGecko data, Dogecoin experienced an 11% increase in the last 24 hours, while Shiba Inu gained approximately 13% in value. Additionally, the Bonk token on the Solana network attracted attention with a nearly 50% increase over the past week. The rise has been observed to spread to other meme coins such as Floki and PEPE.

Furthermore, according to data provided by CryptoQuant, the share of meme coins within the altcoin market dropped to 0.032% in December 2025, creating a historical low. However, it has been observed that this ratio is rising again in recent days, indicating that capital is beginning to return to the most speculative area of the market. However, past cycles show that such rises can crowd quickly and can lead to anticipated sudden pullbacks.

On the other hand, Santiment data particularly indicates high risks for Shiba Inu. The top 10 SHIB wallets control approximately 63% of the total supply. This situation leaves the price open to sharp movements both upwards and downwards. The fact that the largest single wallet holds 41% of the supply further highlights this fragility. Experts state that this situation reflects a short, sharp, and speculative rise specific to meme coins rather than an altcoin season.

Meanwhile, although Bitcoin and Ethereum prices show signs of recovery, both assets remain far from their all-time highs, leading investors to gravitate towards these rapidly moving meme coins. However, there is still no strong signal indicating that these increases will be permanent until the overall market sentiment clarifies.