Hold onto your alts: How to spot and use early Altcoin Season indicators

Altseason is that chaotic window when money rotates from Bitcoin into… basically everything else with a ticker. It’s fun, it’s fast and it’s full of possible ways to get rich. In 2025/26, it’s also pickier: attention and liquidity are spread thin (there are millions of tokens instead of thousands), so not everything pumps. Your edge isn’t FOMO; it’s selection + timing + risk control.

Spotting altseason early

Your main goal here is to figure out whether momentum is shifting from BTC to alts, and do it before the memes hit your group chats.

How not to miss the beginning:

Bitcoin dominance (BTC.D) trending down

If BTC’s share of the total crypto market is down — capital broadening into alts. If it is up — stickier BTC season. The rule of thumb here is a steady drift lower, not a one-day blip. This is what you want to see.

Altcoin Season Index heating up

A rising reading of the altseason chart (esp. toward the “altseason” zone) means many top alts are outpacing BTC over ~90 days. At the same time, keep in mind — It’s a breadth check, not a crystal ball.

By the way, we wrote about it in more detail in the article, so don’t hesitate to read more.

ETH/BTC breaking higher

When Ethereum outruns Bitcoin, alts often follow their captain. Watch the ratio, not just ETH/USD.

TOTAL2 (crypto mcap ex-BTC) breaking out with volume

If the “everything-but-BTC” chart clears resistance on strong volume, risk appetite is broadening.

BTC price behavior

Odd but true: alts like calm BTC. Sideways or gentle uptrends are friendlier than chainsaw rallies.

Pro tip on EXMO: pull up ETH/BTC, your target alt pairs and watch depth/volume on the Advanced Trade screen. Set price alerts so you catch breakouts without doom-scrolling.

The hype factor

The crowd is another starting factor for the altseason:
▪️Social buzz. Spikes in mentions often precede volatility. Great for entry if the chart agrees; great for exits if the frenzy looks terminal.
▪️Memecoin mania. Fun, occasionally profitable, rarely polite. Position small, decide exits in advance.
▪️Narratives. AI, L2s, RWA, DePIN, LST/restaking are sector stories that can lift entire baskets. Use them and get your profit in time.

Always try to stay cool-headed. If your feed turns into a 24/7 victory parade, start thinking about taking profit, not “what if it 10x again?”

Choose your alt “team” and path

This altseason is particularly illustrative of the developed market. Today, instead of a few thousand coins, traders can work with a few million of them. Liquidity is not endless, so some assets will remain where they are while others will jump in value substantially.

Categories to choose from:
▪️Large caps (safer beta): lower blow-up risk, cleaner liquidity. Think “respectable doubles,” not lottery tickets.
▪️Mid caps (narrative juice): more upside if the story has users, fees, TVL, partnerships.
▪️Small caps/memes (handle with oven mitts): position tiny, plan exits, expect whiplash.
▪️Ecosystem plays: when a chain’s usage rips, its native + satellite tokens can run together—validate dev/user traction, not just hype.

Strategies to ride the wave:
▪️DCA in, DCA out. Scale entries to avoid buying the exact top, scale exits to lock gains without nuking upside.
▪️Have targets & stops. Pre-write your sell plan (e.g., take 30% at +100%, trail stop on the rest). Your 3 a.m. self will thank you.
▪️Diversify on purpose. A few large/mid anchors + a couple of well-researched high-beta plays. Ten random micro-caps ≠ diversification.
▪️Let charts help, but confirm with context. Support/resistance, RSI extremes, volume expansions—plus your macro/rotation read.
▪️Mind your fees & friction. If you rotate a lot, costs add up. On EXMO you can pay for EXMO Premium with EXM to lower maker/taker fees—handy when you’re rebalancing or DCA-ing often. Run the “does it pay for itself?” math first.
▪️Earn while you wait. Dry powder parked? Use EXMO Earn. Flexible is good for “waiting room” funds, and Fixed is perfect for potentially higher rates only if timelines are clear.

Regional note: EEA residents don’t have access to Earn tiers (Basic only) or Premium levels. Perks vary by region—check in-app.

This altseason won’t lift all boats. Liquidity is selective, narratives matter, and risk control is the real alpha. Use objective signals to spot the turn, pick sectors with verifiable usage, and let tools (alerts, stops, Earn, fee reductions) do some heavy lifting. Start small, measure what works, and let data—not drama—drive your next move.

This article is for educational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Cryptocurrency investments involve risk, and you should always do your own research or consult a licensed financial advisor before making decisions.