- Altcoin Season Index reads 27 (BTC-favoring), but Monero, Sui outpace Bitcoin since April.
- ETHNews analysts urge focus on altcoins with strong fundamentals amid selective rally patterns.
Altcoins show signs of renewed interest as Bitcoin’s market share declines from 65.3% to 62% in May. This shift follows Bitcoin’s surge past $100,000 last week, which coincided with capital rotating into smaller cryptocurrencies. Analytics firm Swissblock notes similarities to February and November 2024 altcoin rallies, suggesting a potential phase change.
Indicators Point to Growing Altcoin Strength
The altcoin market cap excluding Bitcoin and Ethereum rose from $600 billion to over $900 billion in three weeks.
Tether’s dominance (USDT.D) fell from 6% to 4.5%, indicating reduced stablecoin holdings and increased risk appetite. Crypto analyst Benjamin Cowen highlighted that more altcoins now trade above their 100-day moving averages, a pattern seen before prior rallies.
The Altcoin Season Index (ASI), which compares Bitcoin’s performance to altcoins over 90 days, reads 27—still favoring Bitcoin. However, the index lags behind real-time shifts. Monero, Sui, Bittensor, and Tron have outperformed Bitcoin since April, signaling selective strength.
Number of cryptocurrencies in the top 100 above their 100D SMA pic.twitter.com/Y299pfE5Lo
— Benjamin Cowen (@intocryptoverse) May 12, 2025
While momentum builds, ETHNews analysts caution that not all altcoins will rally uniformly. Swissblock advises focusing on projects with clear use cases and strong protocol activity. Historical patterns show that sector leaders often drive initial surges before broader participation.
Bitcoin’s dominance remains elevated compared to early 2024 levels, suggesting any altcoin rally may face volatility. Investors balancing exposure might prioritize tokens with demonstrated resilience during Bitcoin’s consolidation phases.
Monero (XMR) – Price & Technical Analysis – May 2025
Monero (XMR) is currently trading at $332.37, with a -1.75% decline in the last 24 hours, though it maintains a +20.48% gain over the past week, and a +60.4% increase in the past 30 days. This positions XMR as one of the strongest performers in the privacy coin segment. Over the past year, Monero is up +147.3%, clearly outperforming both the overall market and other smart contract platforms. Its market cap stands at $6.13 billion, ranking it #29, with a 24-hour trading volume of $129.5 million.
From a technical perspective, XMR is consolidating between $325 and $350, following a powerful breakout that saw it push toward multi-month highs. A breakout above $350 could push Monero toward $370–$385, while a loss of $325 support may trigger a dip to $305.
The RSI remains healthy, and moving averages are trending positively—supporting a continuation of the uptrend if volume returns.
Fundamentally, Monero is considered the top privacy-focused cryptocurrency, leveraging the CryptoNote protocol, ring signatures, and stealth addresses to offer full anonymity and fungibility.
Its use case as an untraceable currency is becoming increasingly relevant amid rising concerns around surveillance, KYC policies, and transaction privacy. Despite being delisted from some exchanges, XMR retains a loyal community and growing demand on peer-to-peer and privacy-first platforms.
If XMR breaks and holds above $350, it is projected to reach $378 within the next 5–7 days, driven by increasing demand for privacy tools and strong technical momentum.
SUI (Sui) – Updated Price & Technical Analysis – May 2025
SUI is currently trading at $3.875, down -3.54% on the day, following a sharp rally that brought the token to the edge of its $4.00 breakout zone. Over the last 7 days, SUI has gained +18.17%, and it’s up an extraordinary +76.87% in the past 30 days, marking one of the most aggressive altcoin recoveries this cycle. Despite this momentum, SUI remains -5.92% year-to-date, though it has climbed +289.79% over the past year.
Technically, SUI is in a consolidation phase just below resistance at $4.00–$4.20, and a daily close above this region could trigger a leg toward $4.80–$5.37, the all-time high. Support is forming in the $3.60–$3.75 zone, which needs to hold to avoid a retracement to the $3.30 range.
The RSI is hovering near overbought territory, and volume is slightly tapering, signaling a possible short-term cooldown unless new catalysts arise.
On the fundamental side, SUI is gaining traction as a potential “Solana of 2025”, fueled by:
- $1.82 billion in open interest, signaling strong derivative market participation.
- Institutional buzz around RWA, smart contract performance, and DeFi infrastructure.
- Key partnerships announced with Fireblocks, MoviePass, and an upcoming 44 million token unlock on June 1, which could impact supply-side pressure.
If SUI breaks and closes above $4.00 with volume confirmation, it is projected to reach $4.72 within 4–6 days, driven by breakout momentum, speculative inflows, and bullish structural setup.
