Bitcoin (BTC) slipped below the $70,000 mark on Thursday, trading at $69,513.91 with a 0.4% daily decline. Despite the pullback, trading volume remained robust at $44.9 billion, while market cap held above $1.39 trillion.
Ethereum (ETH) bucked the trend, rising 0.5% to $2,030.03 on $18.3 billion in volume and a $245 billion market cap. Other major coins showed mixed moves: BNB edged up 0.4% to $644.97, supported by steady activity within its ecosystem; XRP dipped 0.6% to $1.37 with $2.34 billion in volume; Solana (SOL) lost 0.8% to $85.21, showing mild selling pressure; TRON (TRX) gained 0.8% to $0.2899, extending its gradual uptrend.
Altcoin Surge Led by ACX as Smaller Tokens Rally Hard
While large caps moved little, several smaller altcoins exploded higher. Across Protocol (ACX) skyrocketed 70.8% to $0.05726, with volume surging to $150 million to become the top gainer. Derive (DRV) jumped 53.1% to $0.1052 on $2.8 million volume. Dent (DENT) climbed 22.1% to $0.0002798 with $17.7 million turnover.
Other strong performers: Avantis (AVNT) rose 21.9% to $0.1797, volume $108 million; Bitway (BTW) gained 17.6% to $0.02277; World Mobile Token (WMTX) advanced 16.8% to $0.08184, supported by $122 million in volume. These moves highlight how smaller assets can experience outsized volatility compared with major cryptocurrencies.
The market now shows clear divergence. BTC struggles below $70,000 while smaller tokens deliver double-digit gains, signaling a possible rotation from majors into high-beta assets. Whether this trend persists remains to be seen.