Solana, Hedera, and Litecoin ETFs debut — Here’s how the market reacted

Key Takeaways

Did the new altcoin ETFs spark a market rally?

Not entirely. Solana’s ETF saw the strongest demand with $56 million in volume, yet SOL’s price fell 3.6%.

What does this say about the new ETF market?

Traders appear to be more selective, favoring assets with stronger fundamentals or staking appeal, rather than reacting purely to listing hype.

The first wave of U.S. altcoin ETFs officially launched on 27 October, marking a historic expansion of regulated crypto products beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum. 

Solana, Hedera, and Litecoin each saw new ETFs go live under tickers $BSOL, $HBR, and $LTCC, generating a combined $65 million in first-day trading volume. However, their underlying tokens reacted very differently.

Solana ($SOL): strong ETF debut, weak price follow-through

Bitwise’s $BSOL ETF recorded $56 million in day-one volume, the highest of any ETF launch this year. Yet Solana’s spot price slipped 3.65%, trading around $191 after briefly touching $203.

Technical data from TradingView shows the RSI hovering at 45, reflecting neutral-to-weak momentum as traders likely priced in ETF optimism ahead of launch.

The pullback suggests a “buy-the-rumor, sell-the-news” setup, with investors locking in profits after the listing.

Source: TradingView

Hedera ($HBAR): low ETF volume, strong price response

In contrast, Hedera’s $HBR ETF, which saw $8 million in trading activity, triggered a sharp 4.9% daily price gain to $0.193. Its RSI jumped to 53, indicating renewed bullish sentiment.

Source: TradingView

The divergence between modest ETF volume and strong price action suggests that retail traders and smaller funds may be rotating into lower-cap Layer-1s in anticipation of future staking yield announcements or further ETF inflows.

Litecoin ($LTC): muted ETF interest, soft technicals

Litecoin’s $LTCC ETF lagged with just $1 million in first-day trading. On the charts, LTC slipped 3.3%, falling to $96 with its RSI around 43, signaling weak demand.

Source: TradingView

The lack of ETF enthusiasm mirrors broader sentiment: Litecoin remains viewed more as a legacy crypto asset than an innovation leader.

Unless volumes rise in the coming days, the product’s appeal may stay limited to niche institutional investors.

Market takeaway

The mixed price performance across these altcoins shows that ETF listings alone don’t guarantee immediate market rallies.

Investors appear selective, rewarding assets with strong network growth or staking yields, while others face profit-taking.

Still, the successful debut of three non-BTC, non-ETH spot ETFs signals a maturing U.S. market — one ready to explore altcoin exposure under regulated structures.