Will Q2 2025 Mark the Return of Altcoin Season?

The cryptocurrency market is showing potential signs of an impending altcoin season. Market watchers cite a confluence of technical, sentiment, and macroeconomic factors that could lead to a significant rally in altcoins.

The outlook follows a notable downturn in the altcoin market, which has dropped about 37.6% since its high in early December 2024. As of the latest data, the market cap stands at $1.1 trillion.

Is Altcoin Season Coming? 

From a technical perspective, Bitcoin (BTC) Dominance, which measures Bitcoin’s market share relative to the total cryptocurrency market, seems to be at a key turning point. 

A recent chart shared by crypto analyst Mister Crypto on X highlighted that Bitcoin Dominance has reached a resistance following a rising wedge pattern. This pattern is generally seen as a bearish signal, often leading to sharp pullbacks.

“Bitcoin Dominance will collapse. Altseason will come. We will all get rich this year!” he wrote.

In addition, another analyst corroborated these findings, noting that Bitcoin Dominance has reached a peak. Thus, he forecasted a subsequent downturn. 

However, the Altcoin Season Index has dropped to a low of 16. The index, which analyzes the performance of the top 50 altcoins against Bitcoin, indicated that altcoins are currently underperforming.

Notably, this level mirrors the bottom for altcoins observed around August 2024. This period preceded a significant altcoin rally, and the index peaked at 88 by December 2024.

Lastly, from a macroeconomic perspective, the 90-day delay in President Donald Trump’s tariff implementation has renewed market confidence. This delay is perceived as a positive signal, potentially encouraging capital inflows into altcoins.

“90 days tariff pause = 90 days of altseason,” an analyst claimed.

Moreover, analyst Crypto Rover pointed to quantitative easing (QE) as a catalyst for an altseason. According to him, when the central bank starts pumping money into the economy (through QE), altcoins could experience a significant price surge, benefiting from the increased liquidity and investor optimism.

“Once QE starts. Altcoin season will make a massive comeback!” he stated.

However, in the latest report, Kaiko Research stressed that a traditional altcoin season may no longer be feasible. Instead, any potential rally could be selective, with only a few altcoins experiencing significant upside. The focus will likely be on assets with real-world use cases, strong liquidity, and revenue-generating potential.

“Altseasons may become a thing of the past, necessitating a more nuanced categorization beyond just ‘altcoins,’ as correlations in returns, growth factors, and liquidity among crypto assets are diverging significantly over time,” the report read.

Kaiko Research noted that the growing concentration of liquidity in a few altcoins and Bitcoin may disrupt the typical capital flow into altcoins during market upswings. Furthermore, as Bitcoin becomes more widely adopted as a reserve asset by institutions and governments, its position in the market strengthens further.

Ultimately, while the signs point to a potential altcoin rally, it’s clear that the future of altcoins could involve more nuanced market dynamics.