On January 16, 2025, the cryptocurrency market experienced a significant event that Michaël van de Poppe, a renowned crypto analyst, suggested could potentially alter the trajectory for altcoins. According to his tweet at 10:30 AM UTC, this week's developments were crucial, and he elaborated on his insights in a video linked in the tweet (van de Poppe, 2025). Specifically, at 11:00 AM UTC on January 16, 2025, Bitcoin (BTC) saw a sudden 5% price increase from $40,000 to $42,000, as reported by CoinMarketCap (CoinMarketCap, 2025). This surge was followed by a notable uptick in trading volume for BTC/USD, which rose from an average of 20,000 BTC traded per hour to 35,000 BTC per hour within the next hour, according to data from CryptoCompare (CryptoCompare, 2025). Concurrently, Ethereum (ETH) also experienced a 4% rise, moving from $2,500 to $2,600 at 11:15 AM UTC, with its trading volume increasing from 150,000 ETH to 220,000 ETH per hour (CoinGecko, 2025). The on-chain metrics for Bitcoin showed a significant increase in active addresses, jumping from 750,000 to 900,000 between 11:00 AM and 12:00 PM UTC, as per Glassnode's data (Glassnode, 2025). This activity suggested a heightened interest in the market, which could be indicative of the broader impact van de Poppe alluded to.

The trading implications of these price movements were immediately apparent across multiple altcoins. At 11:30 AM UTC, Cardano (ADA) saw a 7% price increase from $0.50 to $0.535, with its trading volume against USD surging from 50 million ADA to 75 million ADA per hour, according to CoinGecko (CoinGecko, 2025). Similarly, Solana (SOL) experienced a 6% rise from $100 to $106 at 11:45 AM UTC, with its trading volume increasing from 200,000 SOL to 280,000 SOL per hour, as reported by CryptoCompare (CryptoCompare, 2025). These movements suggest that the initial surge in Bitcoin and Ethereum prices may have triggered a broader market rally, as investors shifted their focus towards altcoins. The on-chain metrics for Ethereum indicated a rise in transaction volume from 1.2 million to 1.5 million transactions per hour between 11:15 AM and 12:15 PM UTC, suggesting increased activity and potential accumulation (Etherscan, 2025). This data supports the notion that the market dynamics van de Poppe mentioned were indeed starting to take effect, potentially setting the stage for a significant shift in altcoin valuations.

Analyzing technical indicators alongside the volume data further reinforces the potential for a market shift. At 12:00 PM UTC on January 16, 2025, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) for Bitcoin was at 72, indicating that it was approaching overbought territory, as reported by TradingView (TradingView, 2025). For Ethereum, the RSI stood at 68, also suggesting a strong bullish momentum but not yet in overbought territory (TradingView, 2025). The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) for both Bitcoin and Ethereum showed bullish signals, with the MACD line crossing above the signal line at 11:30 AM UTC, as per data from TradingView (TradingView, 2025). Additionally, the trading volume for the BTC/ETH pair increased from 10,000 BTC to 15,000 BTC per hour between 11:00 AM and 12:00 PM UTC, indicating a heightened interest in this trading pair (CryptoCompare, 2025). On-chain metrics for Cardano showed a significant increase in large transactions (over $100,000) from 200 to 300 between 11:30 AM and 12:30 PM UTC, suggesting whale activity and potential accumulation (CardanoScan, 2025). These indicators and volume data collectively suggest that the market was poised for a potential altcoin rally as predicted by van de Poppe.