Solana leads institutional flows by $118M – Is altcoin season back?

Key Takeaways

What’s behind SOL inflows?

Recently launched U.S Spot SOL ETFs featuring staking could have been a catalyst. 

Is the altcoin season here?

According to the index reading, “YES.” However, most altcoins are yet to reverse their October losses. 

Solana [SOL] led the broader market recovery last week, with most bids coming from the institutional side. In fact, according to a CoinShares report, SOL topped the list with $118 million from institutional inflows, followed by XRP with $28.2 million. 

Surprisingly, Bitcoin [BTC] and Ethereum [ETH] led outflows, underscoring subtle rotation to other altcoins. 

Source: Coinshares

Given that the U.S Spot SOL ETF debuted last week with strong demand, the performance was not surprising.

Similarly, XRP ETFs are expected to launch this week and could have bolstered the institutional inflows. 

Is the altcoin season back?

Hence, the question – Can the recovery lead to a broader surge in altcoins? Some altcoins, like NEAR, saw a strong rebound, erasing the losses incurred in October.

However, CryptoQuant data revealed that some players have been selling into the relief rally. 

Notably, the Altcoin Exchange Inflow Transaction Count, which tracks selling pressure on exchanges, spiked over the past few days. It illustrated a surge in altcoins moving into platforms for offloading. 

Source: CryptoQuant

Such moves are typical during historical altcoin market recoveries. 

Worth noting though that BTC dominance and USDT’s share, at press time, suggested that the rebound could extend if broader market sentiment improves. 

Interestingly, the BTC bounce to $106k was marked by a dip in BTC dominance from 60% to 59%. This meant that investors rushed to acquire recent, discounted altcoins. 

However, the sector can only maintain any momentum if the dominance of BTC and USDT continues to decline further. If so, it would illustrate a hike in buying power as investors and traders exchange their stablecoins for their favorite altcoin gems. 

Source: BTC vs USDT dominance, vs altcoins (TradingView)

And, the expected end to the U.S government shutdown could provide the needed catalyst to keep the upward momentum.

According to ETF Store’s Nate Geraci, reopening the government and the ETF market could fuel altcoins, especially XRP. 

Altcoin season index hits 100

From a performance perspective, Cardano [ADA] led the rebound among top crypto assets, with a 9% rally. XRP followed suit with an 8% jump, while ETH gained by 5%.  

Source: Altcoins performance, TradingView 

According to the aforementioned data, SOL may have led in institutional bids, but ADA and XRP dominated in terms of price chart gains.

Although the altcoin season index jumped to a strong momentum of “100,” several altcoins are yet to front a meaningful rebound. 

Source: Blockchain Centre