The first week of 2026 has seen an increasingly evident divergence in the crypto market. Bitcoin, after a brief rebound at the beginning of the year, faced resistance again, with its price falling back above $91,000. Meanwhile, the entire Altcoins sector is exhibiting a K-shaped trend—top assets like Ethereum and Solana maintain steady upward momentum, but small and mid-cap tokens are generally weakening.
According to the latest data, the total global cryptocurrency market capitalization is approximately $3.1 trillion, a slight decrease of 0.5% compared to last week. Market correction signs are clearly visible. Specifically, Bitcoin has declined 3% over the past 24 hours, and mainstream indices have also dropped by 1.5%. What’s the reason? Analysts believe it’s mainly due to institutional investors taking profits, coupled with global economic uncertainties, all exerting selling pressure.
However, there is an interesting contrast here. Despite the short-term selling pressure, Bitcoin ETFs have absorbed nearly $700 million in capital inflows at the start of 2026. This indicates that long-term funds remain bullish, and institutional allocation demand has not cooled down. The market experiences intense short-term volatility, but the fundamentals still support the overall trend.
Solana and Ethereum are performing relatively resilient against declines. Investors should monitor whether these mainstream assets can maintain their support levels during the correction. For holders of small and mid-cap tokens, increased caution is necessary to guard against risks.
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OvertimeSquid
· 5h ago
Institutions are selling off, retail investors are buying the dip—that's the current scene... $700 million flowing in sounds appealing, but Bitcoin is still trapped. Can it hold the $91,000 level?
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GateUser-e87b21ee
· 15h ago
It's the same old trick again, institutions running and siphoning while retail investors chase highs and sell lows. The K-shaped divergence is happening once more, and I've seen through it all.
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DataBartender
· 21h ago
It's happening again—Bitcoin is still the same old story, unreliable.
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AirdropHunterXM
· 01-08 05:57
Oh my god, it's another K-shaped divergence. This is brutal...
SOL and ETH are still holding on, but our shitcoin has directly hit the limit down...
By the way, BTCe-fund raised 700 million, so the institutions still have some confidence.
Small and mid-cap coins are really risky; we need to cut losses quickly.
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SelfSovereignSteve
· 01-08 05:55
Is this the same old story of taking profits and cashing out? Do institutions really pretend to be bullish or what... $700 million inflow sounds like a lot, but then they immediately dump, the contrast is incredible.
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ForkThisDAO
· 01-08 05:46
Institutions are bottom-fishing, retail investors are panic-selling; this is the opening act of 2026.
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bridgeOops
· 01-08 05:45
Same old trick, institutions eating up while dumping, retail investors suffer heavy losses.
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RugpullSurvivor
· 01-08 05:35
It's another K-shaped divergence. The small coins at the bottom really should be cleared out.
The first week of 2026 has seen an increasingly evident divergence in the crypto market. Bitcoin, after a brief rebound at the beginning of the year, faced resistance again, with its price falling back above $91,000. Meanwhile, the entire Altcoins sector is exhibiting a K-shaped trend—top assets like Ethereum and Solana maintain steady upward momentum, but small and mid-cap tokens are generally weakening.
According to the latest data, the total global cryptocurrency market capitalization is approximately $3.1 trillion, a slight decrease of 0.5% compared to last week. Market correction signs are clearly visible. Specifically, Bitcoin has declined 3% over the past 24 hours, and mainstream indices have also dropped by 1.5%. What’s the reason? Analysts believe it’s mainly due to institutional investors taking profits, coupled with global economic uncertainties, all exerting selling pressure.
However, there is an interesting contrast here. Despite the short-term selling pressure, Bitcoin ETFs have absorbed nearly $700 million in capital inflows at the start of 2026. This indicates that long-term funds remain bullish, and institutional allocation demand has not cooled down. The market experiences intense short-term volatility, but the fundamentals still support the overall trend.
Solana and Ethereum are performing relatively resilient against declines. Investors should monitor whether these mainstream assets can maintain their support levels during the correction. For holders of small and mid-cap tokens, increased caution is necessary to guard against risks.