Bitcoin Breaks $81,000 as Altcoins Begin Recovering

• Bitcoin is up 36% from February lows and has broken above the key $81,000 level on Tuesday.
• Bitcoin dominance hit 61.3%, its highest since November 2025, as institutions buy via ETFs.
• Altcoin share of Binance volume rose from 31% to 49% over two months, signaling recovery.

Bitcoin has broken above $81,000, extending a recovery that now stands at approximately 36% from its February 6 low. The broader crypto market is up 1.34% over the past 24 hours, with total market capitalization at $2.71 trillion, driven primarily by sustained institutional ETF inflows.

Analyst Michaël van de Poppe has explained that strength has been building across multiple days, adding a warning alongside the optimism. “Before everyone gets too excited, it’s very healthy to have some consolidative days before we continue the journey higher,” he said. 

His near-term target is the 50-week moving average sitting around $90,000, a level he expects Bitcoin to reach as the typically bullish first weeks of the month play out.

Bitcoin Dominance Returns to November Levels

Bitcoin’s market dominance has climbed above 61.3%, returning to levels last seen in November 2025. The figure reflects where capital is concentrating in the current phase of the recovery. Institutions are buying Bitcoin through ETFs at a pace that is keeping dominance elevated even as the broader market recovers.

That dominance level tells a specific story: money is coming into crypto, but it is going into Bitcoin first and staying there for now.

Altcoins Are Stabilizing, Slowly

TOTAL3, the metric tracking all crypto market capitalization excluding Bitcoin and Ethereum, is up roughly 15% from the February lows. Additionally, 11.7% of altcoins listed on Binance have reclaimed their 200-day moving average, compared to just 2.3% on February 6. That improvement breaks a downtrend that had been in place since October 2025.

Trading volume data adds further context. Altcoin trading volumes on Binance have risen from 31% to 49% relative to BTC and ETH volumes over the past two months, signaling a gradual return of investor interest to the broader market.

The shift remains moderate and early. But historically, this type of movement in altcoin volume share and moving average reclamation has preceded more rotation phases where capital moves from Bitcoin into the wider market. Whether that rotation is weeks or months away is the question traders are now asking.

Related: Bitcoin Price Prediction: Strategy May Sell BTC For The First Time As Price Clears $81,000