Bitcoin surged past $109,000, setting a new all-time high, as excitement surrounding Donald Trump’s inauguration fueled market momentum.
Meanwhile, Ethereum faced setbacks, hitting its lowest value against Bitcoin since March 2021, with the ETH/BTC ratio dropping to 0.03.
The rise of Solana played a significant role in Ethereum’s struggles. Solana’s popularity has surged, driven by the memecoin trend, including Trump’s decision to launch his official memecoin on the Solana blockchain instead of Ethereum. This shift has impacted Ethereum’s performance in the current cycle.
According to Min Jung, an analyst at Presto Research, Solana’s momentum, fueled by events like memecoin launches, has placed Ethereum at a disadvantage. However, Jung highlighted that Ethereum still holds strong institutional appeal, noting recent ETH accumulation by World Liberty Financial as evidence.
Despite challenges, Ethereum remains resilient. With its position as the only cryptocurrency besides Bitcoin to have an ETF, it continues to attract attention and retains a pivotal role in the broader crypto landscape, according to Jung. The analyst added that Ethereum is well-positioned to remain a significant focus for investors once Bitcoin’s rally stabilizes.
Solana kicked off 2025 with an impressive revenue milestone, pulling in $369.5 million in just the first quarter—half of what it earned over the entire previous year.
Pi Coin has seen a noticeable price uptick following the long-anticipated release of its tokenomics blueprint and migration plan.
Sui has been making waves lately, with its ecosystem drawing in fresh attention thanks to a spike in speculative trading and DeFi interest.
Swiss bank Sygnum sees brighter prospects ahead for altcoins, citing a wave of regulatory improvements that could set the stage for a market rebound in the second quarter of 2025.