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The altcoin market has given back most of what it earned this fall. Altcoins, measured excluding Bitcoin and stablecoins, have lost about $200 billion in market value. About 70% of Binance-listed altcoins now trade below their 200-day moving average.
From broad strength to broad weakness
The figures come from a CryptoQuant Quicktake by analyst Darkfost, dated November 7, 2026, and shared on X around November 6-7. The analysis tracks the altcoin market cap with Bitcoin and stablecoins stripped out. That isolates the riskier end of the crypto market.
Between mid-August and late September 2026, that segment added roughly $320 billion in value. Then the selling started. The subsequent drop of about $200 billion effectively reversed two-thirds of those gains, according to the analysis.
The more telling number is the breadth of the damage. In early October, only about 10% of Binance-listed altcoins traded below their 200-day moving average. Put the other way, nearly 90% were sitting above that line.
By early November, the picture had flipped. Around 70% of those same altcoins had fallen beneath the indicator. A month earlier, most coins were winning together. Now most are losing together.
The macro backdrop is doing altcoins no favors
Crypto did not sell off in a vacuum. The research ties the decline to a stack of macroeconomic pressures hitting at once.
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Major central banks have been raising rates. That includes the Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank and the Bank of England. Higher rates tend to make speculative assets less attractive, since safer options start paying more.
Geopolitical tensions have also intensified. Add in uncertainty around the US midterm elections, and risk appetite has thinned out considerably.
Equities have struggled too, particularly technology stocks. The Nasdaq has fallen 14% from its recent peak. Altcoins often trade like a more volatile cousin of tech stocks, so a slump there rarely stays contained.
What this means for traders and investors
The immediate read is bearish. A market where roughly 70% of tracked altcoins are below a widely watched trend indicator can discourage fresh buying.
But Darkfost flagged a wrinkle. Extreme readings like this one have historically come before trend reversals. When nearly everything is down, the sellers who wanted out may already be out.
The analyst was careful not to oversell that point. There is no guarantee a bottom is imminent in the current environment.
The broader lesson is about how quickly sentiment can swing in this sector. In about a month, altcoins went from nearly universal strength to widespread weakness. A $320 billion rally became a $200 billion drawdown.
