Bitcoin Hits $81,000 as XRP and Zcash Lead Market Surge

Bitcoin climbs to $81,004 as XRP and Zcash outperform. Over $659 million in liquidations hit the market while total market cap reaches $2.73 trillion.

At the time of writing, Bitcoin is trading at $81,004.5, following a 4.90% increase over the last 24 hours. This momentum has pushed the largest cryptocurrency back into positive territory for the week, where it now shows a growth of 0.85%.

Ethereum is tracking this movement closely, rising 4.83% to reach $2,503.35. The total market capitalization has climbed by 4.95%, currently sitting at $2.73 trillion.

XRP and Zcash Outpace Bitcoin

Aggressive risk-taking is evident among several major altcoins. Zcash stands out as the top performer among leading cryptocurrencies, surging 15.94% in 24 hours to trade at $942.46. Its weekly gains have now reached 17.28%.

XRP has climbed 8.39% to $1.44, while Dogecoin added 8.49% to reach $0.0885. Despite a strong daily session, both assets remain in the red over the past seven days.

Other notable movements include:

• BNB: +5.33% to $723.55
• Solana: +5.23% to $104.32
• Hyperliquid: +2.60% to $83.68
• TRON: +2.38% to $0.3316

The “Altcoin Season” index currently holds at 35 points. This level suggests that while specific tokens are showing strength, these movements have not yet translated into a broad outperformance of altcoins relative to Bitcoin.

Liquidations Reach $659 Million

The activity on the spot market was accompanied by a significant shakeup in derivative positions. Total liquidations over the last 24 hours reached $659.15 million, highlighting the impact of the price surge on leveraged traders.

Short positions accounted for approximately $392.37 million of the total, while long positions saw roughly $266.77 million liquidated. The forced closure of short positions likely accelerated the upward momentum, as these trades require the buy-back of assets.

A more significant signal comes from open interest, which contracted by 7.61% to $428.61 billion. Meanwhile, derivative trading volume increased by 1.41% to $859.22 billion.

This combination points to active deleveraging during the price move, rather than a parallel buildup of new positions.

Market Optimism Strengthens

The Fear and Greed Index has reached 77 points, remaining firmly in “Greed” territory as rising prices quickly restored the appetite for risk.

Bitcoin’s move above $81,000 has shifted the short-term outlook. The next phase will depend heavily on actual spot market demand, as the effects of forced short-covering cannot sustain price levels indefinitely.

For Ethereum, returning above $2,500 restores a psychologically important level. Meanwhile, the strength seen in XRP, Dogecoin, and Zcash indicates a broadening of risk appetite beyond the two largest assets. However, the Altcoin Season indicator remains far from levels that would signal a lasting rotation of capital into smaller cryptocurrencies.

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