Crypto markets were sharply divided on Thursday. Bitcoin (BTC) fell 0.7% over 24 hours to around $81,262, while Ethereum (ETH) dropped 2.1% to $2,337 and XRP slipped 1.6% to about $1.42. Dogecoin (DOGE) posted one of the steeper losses among large tokens, falling 4% to $0.1117. At the same time, a cluster of smaller and lesser-known coins surged as traders rotated into higher-volatility names.
Large-cap tokens weaken while a few majors stay green
Selling pressure stayed focused on the biggest assets, even though Bitcoin kept its lead across the market. BTC still recorded more than $40.7 billion in daily trading volume and held a market capitalization above $1.62 trillion. Ethereum followed with more than $22.4 billion in daily turnover, but that activity did not stop the asset from moving lower.
Not every major token was red. BNB gained 1.1% to $651, Solana (SOL) also rose 1.1% to about $89.73, and TRON (TRX) added 0.6% while staying above $0.34. That mixed performance among large-cap names stood in contrast to the sharp upside seen across smaller speculative tokens.
B3 leads the rally as speculative flows chase smaller tokens
Market data showed B3 (B3) jumping 226.3% in the past 24 hours, making it the strongest performer in the group. The token also generated more than $293 million in trading volume during the rally. CommonWealth (CWU) climbed 167.6%, while DOGS rose 61.1% as traders added exposure to meme-linked assets with elevated volatility.
Xphere (XP) advanced 58.5%, Siren (SIREN) gained 46.2%, and LAB (LAB) rose 36.4%. Octra (OCT) and Gigachad (GIGA) each posted gains above 27%. Most of these tokens were not central market stories before this session, yet they attracted fast inflows and outsized price moves within a single day.
Bitcoin stays under pressure as market participation shifts
Even with trading in smaller tokens accelerating, Bitcoin remained under pressure near the $81,000 level. The session did not show a broad market rise. Instead, it highlighted a widening split between weakening large-cap cryptocurrencies and fast-moving speculative altcoins. Traders are still watching whether Bitcoin can stabilize around current levels and avoid more downside in the next sessions.