Bitcoin — not just the first cryptocurrency, but the main sentiment indicator of the entire market.
Bitcoin dominance is one of the most accurate tools for answering the key question: where is capital flowing right now — into BTC or into altcoins?
What is Bitcoin dominance?
Bitcoin dominance (BTC Dominance or BTC.D) is the percentage share of BTC market capitalization relative to the total capitalization of all cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin dominance is an indicator that shows how strongly Bitcoin controls the market.
The formula is simple: BTC Dominance = (BTC Capitalization ÷ Total Crypto Market Capitalization) × 100%
As of October 29, 2025, Bitcoin dominance stands at over 59%. This means more than half of all money in crypto is invested in BTC. When the metric rises — investors choose stability. When it falls — interest in altcoins begins.
Bitcoin dominance is popular among:
- Beginners looking for entry signals into the market.
- Professionals using BTC.D for timing the altseason.
- Investors tracking capital flows between assets.
History of Bitcoin dominance
The history of Bitcoin dominance is a mirror of the evolution of the cryptocurrency market. Since 2009, BTC.D has gone from near-total monopoly to cyclical fluctuations, where each drop or rise was accompanied by billions of dollars in capital flows. Searching for “Bitcoin dominance history” helps traders study patterns to predict future phases.
2009–2016: the monopoly era
Dominance above 90–99%. There were virtually no altcoins: Litecoin (2011) and Namecoin were rare exceptions with capitalization less than 1% of BTC. Bitcoin was synonymous with crypto.
2017: first altseason and ICO boom
Ethereum launch (2015) + thousands of ICOs. BTC.D crashed from 87% to 37% in 12 months. Altcoin capitalization grew from $5B to $500B. ETH +20,000%, XRP +36,000%.
2018–2019: “crypto winter” and return to BTC
90% of ICOs failed. Investors locked in losses and returned to Bitcoin. BTC.D recovered to 70%. BTC fell 85%, but alts — 95–99%.
2020–2021: DeFi, NFT, and second altseason
Uniswap, Chainlink, Solana, Polygon. NFT hype (CryptoPunks, Bored Apes). BTC.D dropped to 38.7% (all-time low). ETH +1,200%, SOL +11,000%, DOGE +20,000%.
2022–2023: crashes and flight to quality
Terra/LUNA (-100%), FTX, 3AC. Panic. BTC.D rose to 52%. BTC fell 77%, but alts — 90%+. Institutions bought BTC via Grayscale.
2024–2025: new era of balance
Spot BTC/ETH ETFs, L2 solutions (Arbitrum, Optimism), RWA tokens, AI agents. BTC.D fluctuates in the 45–55% range.
Key pattern: BTC.D decline → 3–6 months of altseason → correction → BTC.D rise → repeat.
How and where to view the Bitcoin dominance chart?
The Bitcoin dominance chart shows what portion of the total crypto market capitalization BTC occupies. This metric is crucial for analyzing market sentiment: rising BTC share may indicate investors moving funds from altcoins to a more stable asset. When BTC’s share declines, capital often flows into altcoins, signaling the start of altcoin growth — the so-called altseason. This ratio is also referred to as Bitcoin dominance relative to altcoins.
1. TradingView
Enter BTC.D → full interactive chart. You can:
- Overlay RSI, MACD, Bollinger Bands.
- Draw levels: 40%, 50%, 60%.
- Compare with BTC/USD, ETH/USD, TOTAL (total market cap).
- Set alerts: “BTC.D below 45%” → push/email/Telegram.
2. CoinMarketCap and CoinGecko
“Global Charts” section:
- Pie chart: BTC, ETH, stablecoins, others.
- Historical chart for 1D/1W/1M/ALL.
- Filters: exclude stablecoins → “clean” dominance.
3. Glassnode
Metrics:
- Dominance by active addresses.
- Whale capital flows (>$1M).
- Realized capitalization BTC vs alts.
4. CryptoQuant
Charts:
- Exchange netflow (BTC vs alts).
- Exchange reserves by BTC.D.
- Hashrate vs dominance comparison.
Impact of Bitcoin dominance on altcoins
Bitcoin dominance and altcoins move in inverse correlation. When BTC’s share rises — alts lose liquidity, volume, and price. When BTC.D falls — capital inflows begin, hype emerges, and explosive growth occurs in the alt market.
Historical examples:
- January 2018: BTC.D 37% → XRP +36,000% in 2 weeks.
- May 2021: BTC.D 40% → DOGE +20,000%, SHIB +1,000,000%.
- November 2024: BTC.D 62% → 70% of alts fell 50%+.
How it works:
Investors take profits in BTC → buy alts → price rises → attracts retail → FOMO → peak → profit-taking → return to BTC → cycle repeats.
Conclusion:
BTC.D below 48% — green light for alts.
BTC.D above 58% — red signal, capital flows into Bitcoin.
Conclusion
Bitcoin dominance is not just a number on a chart, but one of the key indicators of crypto market sentiment.
It reflects the balance of power between Bitcoin and altcoins, showing where capital is moving and what stage of the cycle the market is in.
When BTC.D rises, investors often choose reliability and exit risky assets. When dominance falls, the altcoin season begins, and interest in new sectors and projects grows.
For traders and investors, this metric is a vital decision-making tool. Analyzing BTC.D alongside other metrics and fundamental factors helps more accurately determine entry, exit, and portfolio rebalancing points.
Trade consciously. Successful deals in 2025!
