Data from TradingView shows Avalanche (AVAX) emerging as the top performer among high-cap assets, climbing close to 9% within a single day and reaching $32.7.
HYPE, the native token of decentralized exchange Hyperliquid, surged 7% to a record $60.
Meanwhile, BNB surpassed $1,000 for the first time ever. Earlier, media reported that Binance is in talks with the U.S. Department of Justice to ease regulatory oversight.
Solana broke through $246, a level last seen in January. Dogecoin gained 5.1% to $0.28, while Cardano and Chainlink advanced 5% and 4.7%, respectively.
Bitcoin edged up 0.4%, holding near $117,100. Ethereum rose 2% to $4,575.
What do experts say?
Analysts shared mixed views on the market’s momentum and outlook.
Benjamin Cowen, founder of ITC Crypto, noted that altcoins traded against Ethereum have shown steady growth over the past four weeks, coinciding with ETH’s new all-time high. He suggested that this trend could continue, supported by the TOTAL3-USD/ETH chart.
We are now in Week 4 of #ALTs going up against #ETH.
— Benjamin Cowen (@intocryptoverse) September 17, 2025
Notice how the bounce occurred right after #ETH put in a new ATH.
This will likely continue for a few more weeks. https://t.co/ZMcdUx85dG pic.twitter.com/XLvbFAJC3H
A trader known as Ali also backed the idea of sustained bullish momentum in the altcoin market. He pointed to the Fed’s decision as a key driver, highlighting over $2.1 billion in USDT and USDC inflows to Binance.
According to him, the average whale deposit climbed to $214,000. He also observed a sharp increase in altcoin inflows to major exchanges and nearly double the address activity since early September, arguing that improved liquidity and institutional participation are supporting the sector’s rally.
With the Fed's decision to cut interest rates by 25 bps, CryptoQuant data shows Binance attracting over $2.1 billion in USDT and USDC inflows. Whale deposits now average $214,000 vs. $63,000 in July, suggesting growing institutional activity.
— Ali (@ali_charts) September 18, 2025
Altcoin deposits are also booming:… pic.twitter.com/5q0ONVBuAL
Michaël van de Poppe, founder of MN Capital, stressed that a major altcoin rally will likely only begin once Bitcoin stabilizes.
The more important part; will $BTC break through this crucial resistance zone?
— Michaël van de Poppe (@CryptoMichNL) September 18, 2025
All I'm sure about is that, once #Bitcoin stabilizes, we'll start to see big breakouts on #Altcoins occur. pic.twitter.com/7PdiM99SId
Analysts point to three main forces behind the altcoin rally: the Federal Reserve’s recent rate reduction, the expansion of corporate crypto holdings, and the anticipated approval of fresh altcoin ETFs.