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Recent findings reveal that altcoins often decay rapidly against Bitcoin (BTC), emphasizing Bitcoin’s stability as a long-term investment.
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Key altcoins like LUNA1, ONG, and BRISE have shown the most severe drawdowns, indicating that even established coins experience significant declines over time.
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“Altcoins don’t just underperform Bitcoin. They collapse against it,” says Swan, highlighting a systemic issue in the altcoin market.
This article discusses recent findings on the systematic depreciation of altcoins compared to Bitcoin, offering insights into market dynamics and investment strategies.
The Stability of Bitcoin Amidst Altcoin Volatility
The recently published study by Swan emphasizes the stark contrast between Bitcoin and various altcoins, particularly regarding their investment viability. Data revealed that many altcoins not only underperform Bitcoin but face rapid, systemic depreciation, often within a short time frame after reaching their all-time highs.
Altcoin Performance: A Closer Look
According to Swan’s detailed analysis, the performance of the top 300 altcoins was scrutinized over a five-year period. The findings revealed a troubling trend where the median altcoin demonstrated a negative 90% drawdown within merely 10 to 20 months post-ATH.
Specifically, high-profile failures include Terra (LUNA1), Ontology Gas (ONG), and Bitgert (BRISE), all of which succumbed to significant declines in under two months. More established tokens like Cardano (ADA) and XRP took a longer path to similar levels of depreciation, taking 36 months to exhibit a 90% drop from their peak values.
Altcoin’s Performance Compared to Bitcoin. Source: Swan
What’s alarming is that even altcoins yet to undergo a 90% drawdown exhibit an average decline of 76% from peak valuations. The research indicates that the survival of these tokens merely delays their inevitable depreciation.
Challenges Facing the Altcoin Market
As Bitcoin solidifies its dominance in the cryptocurrency market, the challenges for altcoins grow. New data from CoinMarketCap indicates a staggering creation of over 1.8 million tokens within a month, further saturating the market.
However, this influx of new assets has resulted in the vast majority of tokens failing to maintain value. Reports have surfaced that 89% of tokens listed on Binance are experiencing losses, suggesting that speculative trading rather than strong fundamentals drives value in the altcoin ecosystem.
The Future of Altcoins: Is a Comeback Feasible?
The combination of increasing token supply and stagnating demand could mean that traditional altcoin seasons — periods when altcoins outperform Bitcoin — may no longer be viable. As Bitcoin captures a more significant market share, its price surges are stabilizing investor confidence, leaving little room for altcoins to thrive.
Analysts suggest that without significant innovation or a shift in market dynamics, altcoins may continue to struggle for relevance, making investors wary. The prevailing perspective among some experts is that as long as Bitcoin maintains its upward trajectory, the prospects for altcoins may diminish.
Conclusion
The findings from Swan’s research serve as a critical reminder of the risks associated with investing in altcoins compared to Bitcoin. While Bitcoin demonstrates resilience and stability, many other cryptocurrencies exhibit volatility that can lead to dramatic financial losses. Investors are encouraged to approach altcoins with caution, considering Bitcoin’s long-standing reputation as a benchmark for capital preservation.
