Altcoins Are Dead, Only BTC & ETH Matter

• Kevin O’Leary says altcoins are failing to recover after the recent crypto correction.
• He claims investors now focus on Bitcoin and Ethereum, which he says capture 97.5% of crypto market alpha.
• O’Leary is also expanding his focus on crypto infrastructure through Bitzero.

Television personality Kevin O’Leary has said altcoins are no longer rebounding after recent market losses, arguing that most tokens lack clear utility. He made the comments in a video shared on X, where he said investors are moving toward Bitcoin and Ethereum, also adding he now holds only these two assets.

Altcoins Lose Momentum After Latest Market Decline

In an interview with TraderTVLive, O’Leary said the current market environment now differs from previous downturns. Bitcoin has fallen about 32% from its October high of $126,000 and reached a low of $80,000 in recent weeks. 

Notably, Bitcoin has rebounded to $93,815, after a 7.9% rise in the past day, reducing its monthly loss to 12.8%. Similar to Bitcoin, major altcoins have seen a surge in the past day. Ethereum and XRP have seen a 9% surge in the past day, both trading at $3,062 and $2.20, respectively. 

Related: Bitcoin’s December Dilemma: FOMC Split on Rate Cut Raises Uncertainty for Altcoins

Interestingly, some other altcoins have seen a double-digit uptick in the same period.  Solana is up by 11.8% while SUI is up by 28.5%, with BOB even trading at a staggering 121% surge. 

Meanwhile, O’Leary said that although steep declines are common in crypto, the behavior of altcoins this time marks a significant shift.

“Usually, when there was a correction in the market, all of the altcoins would experience a large correction but would bounce back,” he said. “This time, they’re not bouncing back.”

He said the lack of recovery reflects a change in how investors allocate capital. Many market participants now believe they only need exposure to Bitcoin and Ethereum to capture nearly all available gains in the sector.

Investors Concentrate on Bitcoin and Ethereum

O’Leary said Bitcoin and Ethereum now account for about 97.5% of crypto market performance, leaving little room for smaller tokens. He said altcoins face higher volatility during downturns and lack the use cases needed to justify long-term demand.

“The reason that is occurring is very simple,” he said. “Investors have figured out you only need to own two positions.”

He added that regulatory efforts, including discussions over the legal status of Ethereum, have encouraged investors to focus on assets perceived as more established.

O’Leary’s Perspective on Crypto Infrastructure

In a separate post on X, O’Leary discussed his investment in Bitzero, a company he originally backed as Bitcoin’s large-scale mining grew. He said he wanted to own both digital assets and the infrastructure that supports them.

“I like to own the infrastructure as well as the assets,” he said. “If you’re gonna own Bitcoin, back then, why wouldn’t you own the entity that mines Bitcoin?”

Related: Bitcoin’s Industrial Crunch: Miners Face ‘Survivorship Phase’ as Margins Collapse

O’Leary said Bitzero has since expanded into a broader energy-infrastructure provider. The company now supplies power to Bitcoin miners, Ethereum miners, data centers, and artificial-intelligence operations. 

He described it as “agnostic” to which technologies use its energy. “You’re not going anywhere without power,” he said. “All roads lead to Bitzero.”