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Hongji Feng
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Sentiment across the market shows a mild improvement today, with the Fear and Greed Index rising to 30 after spending much of the past two weeks in the lower twenties and briefly touching extreme fear levels that had pushed many participants into defensive positioning.
Bitcoin is trading near $92,000 after a stretch of uneven activity that began in late November, and the steadier tone around the largest asset has created a backdrop in which a small group of altcoins can advance without relying on abrupt, flow-driven bursts.
Bitcoin Price (Source: CoinMarketCap)
Ethereum sits at the center of that shift as its performance often sets expectations for how much risk the market is willing to take.
Ethereum Extends Its Climb On Firmer Market Structure
Ethereum (ETH) is currently trading around $3,330, up by about 7% over 24 hours, and the increase is supported by an improvement in both spot and derivatives participation, with deeper books and steadier bidding in ranges that had previously struggled to hold during last week’s retreat.
Activity across major venues indicates that traders who had reduced exposure during the November drawdown are gradually re-entering positions, not because sentiment has shifted dramatically, but because the asset’s day-to-day usage and continued demand for block space provide a degree of stability even when the wider environment remains cautious.
This pattern allows Ethereum to function as an early gauge of whether the current relief has staying power, since its liquidity and scale often give it the ability to recover before smaller assets regain enough confidence to follow.
Monero Gains As Privacy Demand Holds Steady
Monero (XMR) is trading near $404, up by roughly 12% in 24 hours, and the climb aligns with periods in which privacy-oriented tokens receive renewed attention from communities that maintain consistent usage regardless of broader sentiment shifts.
Depth across several exchanges shows more orderly conditions than last week, with a distribution of bids that implies steady interest rather than isolated buying, which is notable because privacy assets often strengthen when markets search for tokens with established user bases and reliability rather than speculative catalysts.
Mantle Tracks Layer 2 Engagement As Liquidity Improves
Mantle (MNT) is trading near $1.20, up by about 7% in 24 hours, supported by consistent throughput and engagement across the Layer 2 ecosystem that underpins its value.
The token has climbed back above ranges that came under pressure during last week’s downturn, and turnover now sits noticeably higher than the levels seen during the most severe portion of the recent selloff.
This behavior aligns with the tendency for infrastructure and scaling tokens to recover earlier than many smaller assets when sentiment begins to ease, because they rely on live activity and measurable network growth rather than short-term narrative swings.
Altcoin Season Still Out Of Reach Despite Signs Of Relief
The rise in the market sentiment and today’s scattered gains among Ethereum, Monero, and Mantle demonstrate that the market is willing to experiment with selective positioning, yet the structure of flows suggests that a broad altcoin season remains distant.
Bitcoin continues to anchor sentiment near $92,000, and most major tokens remain confined to narrow ranges while participants wait for clearer macro signals, steadier global liquidity conditions, and confirmation that the recent improvement does not fade with the next shift in funding or equities.
For now, the recovery resembles the early-stage attempt to stabilize rather than the altcoin season ready for wide rotation, although the presence of consistent activity in a few established networks shows that the market has not fully retreated from altcoin exposure even as caution remains the prevailing influence.
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