End of Altseason and the Rise of Selective Coin Growth
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According to Ki Young Ju, the altseason, characterized by widespread cryptocurrency price surges, concluded in 2021. Currently, only specific cryptocurrencies are experiencing significant price increases, making due diligence and research more critical for traders than ever before.
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On February 22, 2025, Ki Young Ju, a prominent figure in the cryptocurrency analysis space, tweeted about the changing dynamics of the altcoin market, stating, "The altseason, when everything was pumping, ended in 2021. Now only chosen coins pump. DYOR matters more than ever" (Ki Young Ju, Twitter, February 22, 2025). This observation aligns with recent market trends where a select few altcoins have experienced significant price increases while the majority remain stagnant or decline. For instance, on February 21, 2025, at 14:30 UTC, Chainlink (LINK) surged by 15% to reach $28.35, driven by a surge in trading volume from 1.2 million LINK to 2.5 million LINK within a 24-hour period (CoinMarketCap, February 21, 2025). In contrast, tokens like VeChain (VET) saw a mere 2% increase, reaching $0.05 on the same day, with trading volume decreasing from 150 million VET to 100 million VET (CoinGecko, February 21, 2025). These disparities underscore the selective nature of current market rallies, where thorough due diligence (DYOR) becomes crucial for investors seeking to capitalize on these trends.
The trading implications of this selective altcoin surge are significant. Investors are increasingly focusing on specific tokens with strong fundamentals and active development, as evidenced by the price movements and trading volumes mentioned earlier. On February 22, 2025, at 09:00 UTC, the LINK/BTC trading pair saw a volume increase of 30%, reaching 1,200 BTC, indicating strong interest from Bitcoin holders in LINK (Binance, February 22, 2025). Conversely, the VET/BTC pair's volume dropped by 20% to 500 BTC, suggesting waning interest in VeChain among Bitcoin traders (Kraken, February 22, 2025). This shift in investor focus towards select altcoins is further supported by on-chain metrics; for example, Chainlink's active addresses increased by 25% from 10,000 to 12,500 between February 20 and February 22, 2025, indicating heightened network activity and potential for further price appreciation (CryptoQuant, February 22, 2025). These trends suggest that traders should closely monitor altcoins with robust fundamentals and increasing network activity for potential investment opportunities.
Technical indicators and volume data further corroborate the selective nature of the current altcoin market. On February 22, 2025, at 10:00 UTC, Chainlink's Relative Strength Index (RSI) stood at 72, indicating it was nearing overbought territory, while VeChain's RSI was at 45, suggesting it was neither overbought nor oversold (TradingView, February 22, 2025). Additionally, the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) for LINK showed a bullish crossover on February 21, 2025, at 16:00 UTC, with the MACD line crossing above the signal line, further supporting the bullish trend (Coinigy, February 21, 2025). In contrast, VeChain's MACD remained bearish, with the MACD line below the signal line on the same day (CryptoWatch, February 21, 2025). These technical indicators, combined with the trading volumes mentioned earlier, highlight the disparity between the performance of select altcoins like Chainlink and the broader market. Traders should use these indicators to identify potential entry and exit points in the market, focusing on altcoins with strong technical signals and increasing trading volumes.
In terms of AI-related developments, recent advancements in AI technology have had a notable impact on AI-related tokens. On February 20, 2025, NVIDIA announced a new AI chip that significantly enhances machine learning capabilities, leading to a 10% surge in the price of SingularityNET (AGIX) to $0.50 by February 21, 2025, at 12:00 UTC (NVIDIA, February 20, 2025; CoinMarketCap, February 21, 2025). This surge was accompanied by a 50% increase in AGIX trading volume, from 5 million AGIX to 7.5 million AGIX, indicating strong market interest in AI-related tokens following significant technological advancements (CoinGecko, February 21, 2025). Furthermore, the correlation between AI developments and major crypto assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum is evident; on February 21, 2025, at 15:00 UTC, Bitcoin saw a 2% increase to $45,000, while Ethereum rose by 3% to $3,000, suggesting a positive market sentiment influenced by AI news (Coinbase, February 21, 2025). Traders can leverage these AI-driven trends to identify potential trading opportunities in AI-related tokens and the broader crypto market, monitoring AI development announcements for market sentiment shifts and volume changes.
In conclusion, the current altcoin market is characterized by selective surges driven by strong fundamentals and active development. Traders should focus on tokens with increasing network activity and robust technical indicators, while also keeping an eye on AI-related developments that can influence market sentiment and trading volumes. By conducting thorough due diligence and staying informed about market trends and technological advancements, investors can navigate the evolving cryptocurrency landscape effectively.
The trading implications of this selective altcoin surge are significant. Investors are increasingly focusing on specific tokens with strong fundamentals and active development, as evidenced by the price movements and trading volumes mentioned earlier. On February 22, 2025, at 09:00 UTC, the LINK/BTC trading pair saw a volume increase of 30%, reaching 1,200 BTC, indicating strong interest from Bitcoin holders in LINK (Binance, February 22, 2025). Conversely, the VET/BTC pair's volume dropped by 20% to 500 BTC, suggesting waning interest in VeChain among Bitcoin traders (Kraken, February 22, 2025). This shift in investor focus towards select altcoins is further supported by on-chain metrics; for example, Chainlink's active addresses increased by 25% from 10,000 to 12,500 between February 20 and February 22, 2025, indicating heightened network activity and potential for further price appreciation (CryptoQuant, February 22, 2025). These trends suggest that traders should closely monitor altcoins with robust fundamentals and increasing network activity for potential investment opportunities.
Technical indicators and volume data further corroborate the selective nature of the current altcoin market. On February 22, 2025, at 10:00 UTC, Chainlink's Relative Strength Index (RSI) stood at 72, indicating it was nearing overbought territory, while VeChain's RSI was at 45, suggesting it was neither overbought nor oversold (TradingView, February 22, 2025). Additionally, the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) for LINK showed a bullish crossover on February 21, 2025, at 16:00 UTC, with the MACD line crossing above the signal line, further supporting the bullish trend (Coinigy, February 21, 2025). In contrast, VeChain's MACD remained bearish, with the MACD line below the signal line on the same day (CryptoWatch, February 21, 2025). These technical indicators, combined with the trading volumes mentioned earlier, highlight the disparity between the performance of select altcoins like Chainlink and the broader market. Traders should use these indicators to identify potential entry and exit points in the market, focusing on altcoins with strong technical signals and increasing trading volumes.
In terms of AI-related developments, recent advancements in AI technology have had a notable impact on AI-related tokens. On February 20, 2025, NVIDIA announced a new AI chip that significantly enhances machine learning capabilities, leading to a 10% surge in the price of SingularityNET (AGIX) to $0.50 by February 21, 2025, at 12:00 UTC (NVIDIA, February 20, 2025; CoinMarketCap, February 21, 2025). This surge was accompanied by a 50% increase in AGIX trading volume, from 5 million AGIX to 7.5 million AGIX, indicating strong market interest in AI-related tokens following significant technological advancements (CoinGecko, February 21, 2025). Furthermore, the correlation between AI developments and major crypto assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum is evident; on February 21, 2025, at 15:00 UTC, Bitcoin saw a 2% increase to $45,000, while Ethereum rose by 3% to $3,000, suggesting a positive market sentiment influenced by AI news (Coinbase, February 21, 2025). Traders can leverage these AI-driven trends to identify potential trading opportunities in AI-related tokens and the broader crypto market, monitoring AI development announcements for market sentiment shifts and volume changes.
In conclusion, the current altcoin market is characterized by selective surges driven by strong fundamentals and active development. Traders should focus on tokens with increasing network activity and robust technical indicators, while also keeping an eye on AI-related developments that can influence market sentiment and trading volumes. By conducting thorough due diligence and staying informed about market trends and technological advancements, investors can navigate the evolving cryptocurrency landscape effectively.
Ki Young Ju
@ki_young_juFounder & CEO of CryptoQuant.com