Crypto market overview: altcoins lose more than Bitcoin

Last week ended mostly with a decline in cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin remained above $80,000 but failed to return to the levels of the beginning of the week, Ethereum was under stronger pressure, and most altcoins lost in price. At the same time, investors continued to withdraw funds from US exchange-traded crypto funds.

According to CoinPulseHQ, in the seven days up to October 18, the crypto market capitalization decreased by 2.9%, to $2.72 trillion, and Bitcoin fell by about 1.5%. Only three of the 50 largest cryptocurrencies finished the week in positive territory.

Major events of the week

1. Bitcoin dropped to four-week lows

At the beginning of the week BTC traded near $83,000-84,000, but on October 15 it dropped to about $80,100. By the end of the week, the price recovered only partially and remained around $81,000-82,000. Dynamics were influenced by macroeconomic expectations and investor caution.

2. Outflow of funds from crypto ETFs continued

According to CoinLab, US spot Bitcoin ETFs lost a total of $228.6 million in the week up to October 16. Investors withdrew about $320 million from Ethereum funds, and $25.5 million from Solana products. This indicates a weakening institutional demand, though weekly figures may differ depending on the period and data source.

3. Ethereum looked weaker than Bitcoin

ETH lost about 3.7-4.2% during the week, depending on the time of price snapshots. Outflows from Ethereum exchange-traded funds were larger than from Bitcoin funds. This reflects investor caution towards riskier crypto assets.

4. EU strengthens oversight of stablecoins

The European Banking Authority (EBA) classified USDC as a significant electronic money token under MiCA regulations. Transition to direct EBA oversight is scheduled for November 12, 2026. This is an important signal for the market: requirements for reserves, liquidity, and control of large stablecoins are becoming stricter.

Which cryptocurrencies rose and fell the most

The result depends on which coins are taken into account: only the largest assets or the entire market, including small tokens. Weekly fluctuations of illiquid coins can be especially sharp.

Growth leaders

Among notable coins in the top 100 ranking published on October 16.

Source: CoinLab weekly statistics for the period ending October 16. This is not an exact ranking for all seven days until October 18, but a comparable snapshot published at the end of the week.

Fall leaders

Source: CoinLab, data for the week up to October 16.

In a broader list of traded tokens, the decline was even bigger: for example, Blur (BLUR) lost about 46%, and Starknet (STRK) about 37% for the period of October 12-18 according to Trader Villa. Such figures may significantly differ from rankings of the largest cryptocurrencies and depend on the trading platform.

Which trends are forming in the market

1. Investors prefer Bitcoin to altcoins. The share of BTC in total market capitalization rose to 60.2% from 59.5% a week earlier. This is a sign that amid uncertainty, market participants more often choose the largest cryptocurrency rather than less stable assets.

2. Institutional demand remains weak. Outflows from spot ETFs indicate caution on the part of large investors. Until sustained capital inflows resume, it will be more difficult to rely on prolonged market growth.

3. Macroeconomics still influences cryptocurrencies. Expectations about Fed interest rates and dollar dynamics can change demand for risky assets. Last week, dollar weakness at times supported cryptocurrencies, but this was not enough for a confident recovery.

4. The market remains selective. Despite the overall decline, some projects, including TIA and INJ, showed strong growth. However, such spikes in themselves do not indicate a market-wide reversal: they may be explained by specific news, speculative demand, and low liquidity.

Forecast for the coming week

Three factors remain in focus: Bitcoin movement relative to the $80,000 level, inflows and outflows from crypto ETFs, and expectations on US monetary policy.

If BTC holds above $80,000 and spot market demand recovers, a gradual rebound is possible. If selling pressure increases, Bitcoin may retest last week's lows, and altcoins risk losing even more.

Conclusion: last week showed predominantly cautious sentiment. Bitcoin proved more resilient than most altcoins, Ethereum lagged the leader, and individual tokens demonstrated sharp mixed movements. For sustainable market recovery, not only an improved macroeconomic backdrop is needed, but also a return of real demand from investors.