Over 40% of Altcoins Near All-Time Lows, Worse Than Last Bear Market

by

Over 40% of Altcoins Near All-Time Lows, Worse Than Last Bear Market

In my research, I’ve found that as of March 30, 2026, over 40% of altcoins are currently trading at or very close to their lowest prices ever, based on data from analyst Darkfost.

Honestly, this recent dip is getting pretty scary. It’s actually bigger than the drops we saw in the last big bear market, and it’s making me worry about whether there’s enough buying interest to support prices, and if people will be able to actually sell when they want to.

Altcoins Are Struggling

On X, Darkfost pointed out that altcoins are facing significantly more selling pressure now than at similar points in the previous market cycle. Currently, over 40% of altcoins are nearing their all-time lows, compared to around 38% during the worst part of the last bear market.

According to the analyst, the recent downturn in crypto prices is due to both broader economic challenges and problems specific to the crypto market itself. Adding to this pressure, ongoing conflicts in the Middle East have created instability in traditional markets, leading investors to sell off riskier assets like cryptocurrencies.

Darkfost pointed to the rapidly increasing number of tokens available – they counted over 47 million, with around 22 million on Solana, 18 million on Base, and 4 million on the BNB Smart Chain. They believe this growth is hurting the market because it’s spreading trading activity too thinly. This leaves many smaller tokens with very little trading and makes their prices more vulnerable.

I’ve been watching the market closely, and it’s been a rough couple of days for altcoins. Another analyst, Wise Crypto, pointed out the same thing – the total value of altcoins fell below a trillion dollars. Even major players like Ethereum briefly dipped under $2,000, and Solana lost about 12% in just two days. Some of the riskier, more volatile tokens – what they call ‘high-beta’ – took an even bigger hit. It’s definitely a correction we’re seeing across the board.

While a small number of altcoins showed gains, the overall trend at the time indicated that money was flowing out of the altcoin market, according to Wise Crypto.

Investor confidence has also fallen. The Crypto Fear and Greed Index currently reads at 8, indicating “extreme fear.” This level of fear has persisted for almost two months, happening at the same time as fewer people are trading and those who are trading seem less certain about their decisions.

Things are slowly starting to recover, but it’s not a huge jump yet. I’m seeing Ethereum (ETH) up around 3% in the last day, finally pushing its price just over $2,000. Solana (SOL) also had a decent bump, up over 2%, although it’s actually down a bit over the last week. The biggest winners today were Jupiter (JUP), Zcash (ZEC), and Shiba Inu (SHIB) – they all jumped between 6% and 8%. On the flip side, Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Kaspa (KAS), and Hyperliquid (HYPE) were down – losing 4% to 6% each.

What Could Follow

As I’ve been following the market, Darkfots hasn’t declared a definitive bottom just yet, but they’ve pointed out something interesting: historically, periods of such significant underperformance have presented opportunities for investors who can spot the truly strong projects. This aligns with what I’ve seen in previous analysis from Santiment – their team has suggested that Bitcoin, and the wider market, often rebounds when fear is at its peak, essentially moving in the opposite direction of what most people expect.

Right now, the economic calendar suggests we might see more price swings before things settle down. Several important U.S. economic reports are coming out soon, like the March Jobs Report and a speech by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. These events have impacted crypto prices before, and with investors feeling pessimistic and alternative cryptocurrencies facing unusual pressure, everyone in the market will be paying close attention next week.

Read More

2026-03-31 00:40