# Altcoins Outpace Bitcoin as BTC Rejection Pulls Dominance to 56.5%

By Enna Lee

Canonical URL: https://www.tokenpost.com/news/investing/24187
Published: 2026-09-25T14:43:52.000Z
Updated: 2026-09-25T14:43:52.000Z
Section: Investing

> Bitcoin gained 5% over the week, but Ether, XRP and other major tokens posted larger returns after BTC failed twice to hold above $87,000.

Bitcoin (BTC) remained at $83,500 at press time after failing twice to hold above $87,000, while larger gains across altcoins pushed Bitcoin dominance lower during the week.

Bitcoin rose from the $80,000 level to above $87,000 in less than 24 hours, reaching its highest level since late January. It then retreated to $85,000, briefly fell below $83,000 on Thursday and recovered to $85,000 before sliding back to $83,500.

BTC was up 5% over the week. Ether (ETH) gained 5.9% to $2,685, while XRP rose 17% to $1.57.

Several other tokens posted larger weekly gains. Ethena (ENA) advanced 52%, NEAR rose 45%, Ondo (ONDO) gained 40%, Sui (SUI) climbed 39%, Bitcoin Cash (BCH) added 32% and Avalanche (AVAX) increased 29%.

Among large-cap altcoins, XRP, Chainlink (LINK) and Cardano (ADA) were the strongest performers, gaining between 17% and 18%.

Bitcoin dominance fell by roughly 2% over the week to 56.5%. Total crypto market capitalization reached $3 trillion, while 24-hour trading volume stood at $113 billion.

A market signal tracking relative performance shifted during the week from a Bitcoin-led phase to one dominated by altcoins. About 72.5% of tracked altcoins outperformed BTC over the past week.

The weekly shift leaves Bitcoin above $80,000 but behind many competing tokens in percentage gains. The market’s latest reading shows BTC at $83,500, with altcoins accounting for a larger share of the week’s advance.