Crypto Market Wrap October 25: Monero Jumps 5.2% as Bitcoin Holds $80,782

October 25, 2026 MM Crypto Team

A Quiet Saturday Close With One Loud Outlier

Saturday’s crypto session ended the way most of October has ended: quietly lower, with Bitcoin drifting sideways and most altcoins bleeding a little more. Bitcoin closed the October 24 UTC day at $80,782, down just 0.2%, after trading in a $79,240–$80,975 range, according to Basis Desk’s close-of-day data. The headline number looks boring, and in a sense it is — Bitcoin has now spent days pinned in a narrow band just above the psychologically important $80,000 level, waiting for a catalyst that has not yet arrived.

But beneath the calm surface, the day had a story worth telling. Total crypto market capitalization fell 1.3% over 24 hours to $2.66 trillion, Bitcoin’s dominance climbed to 60.8%, and market breadth was grim: of the 50 largest assets tracked, excluding stablecoins and wrapped tokens, only 7 rose while 35 fell, with a median move of -1.0%. The standout of the session was Monero (XMR), which jumped 5.2% to $614.81 on a day when almost everything else was red..

Bitcoin Holds $80,782 After Testing $79,240

Bitcoin’s daily range tells the story of a market with buyers at the bottom and sellers at the top, and neither side willing to commit. The low of $79,240 tested the underside of the $80,000 zone without breaking it decisively, while the high of $80,975 stopped just short of $81,000 — the level that has capped rallies repeatedly through the second half of October. A later snapshot put Bitcoin at $80,738 at 02:30 UTC on October 25, with a 24-hour range of $79,150–$80,999.60, confirming the same tight band from a different data source.

Ethereum Slides 1.1% to $2,356

Ethereum had a worse day than Bitcoin, falling 1.1% to $2,356 and underperforming its larger rival by nearly a full percentage point. The gap matters because Ether has been the weaker major for weeks now, and the pattern of Bitcoin dominance rising while Ethereum lags is the classic signature of a risk-off market: capital rotates toward the safest crypto asset and away from everything else.

Ether’s weakness is not happening in isolation. The broader altcoin complex has been under pressure since the October liquidation cascade, and Ethereum — as the largest altcoin and the backbone of decentralized finance — absorbs selling whenever risk appetite fades. At $2,356, Ether sits well below the levels it held in early October, and the seven-day trend remains negative. Traders watching the ETH/BTC ratio will note that it continues to grind lower, a quiet signal that the market’s appetite for risk beyond Bitcoin is still shrinking.

Total Market Cap Falls to $2.66 Trillion

The total crypto market capitalization of $2.66 trillion, down 1.3% in 24 hours, is a reminder that the day’s losses were broader than Bitcoin’s flat close suggests. When the total market falls more than six times as much as Bitcoin itself, the damage is concentrated in altcoins — and the dominance figure confirms it. Bitcoin’s share of the total market rose to 60.8%, meaning investors are crowding into Bitcoin’s relative safety while the rest of the market shrinks.

Dominance at 60.8% is high by recent standards, and it tells a story about the structure of this market. In bull markets, dominance usually falls as capital chases altcoin gains; in bear markets and corrections, it rises as traders retreat to Bitcoin. The current reading is consistent with a market that is nervous but not panicking — money is moving defensively, not fleeing the asset class entirely. Stablecoin supply, which has continued to expand in recent weeks, supports that reading: fresh dollars are still entering crypto, even if they are sitting on the sidelines rather than buying.

Breadth Was Poor: Only 7 of the Top 50 Rose

Market breadth was the day’s most damning statistic. Of the 50 largest assets tracked, excluding stablecoins and wrapped tokens, only 7 rose, 35 fell, and the median move was -1.0%. That is a market where nearly five times as many coins fell as rose, and where the typical coin lost a full percent in a single day. Breadth this poor on a day when Bitcoin barely moved is a sign of rotation and distribution, not panic — capital is being pulled out of altcoins steadily rather than in a rush.

Negative breadth has been the norm for much of October, and it matters because breadth leads price. When most coins fall on flat Bitcoin days, it means sellers are working through the altcoin book methodically, and the selling pressure is not showing up in Bitcoin’s price because Bitcoin has deeper liquidity and more institutional support. The risk for Bitcoin holders is that this pattern eventually catches up: altcoin weakness has a habit of spreading to the majors when it persists long enough.

Monero (XMR) Jumps 5.2% to $614.81

Monero was the session’s clear standout, rising 5.2% to $614.81 while almost everything else fell. The move is notable not just for its size but for its context: Monero is a privacy coin, and privacy coins have been among the strongest performers of the year even as the broader market has faded. Zcash (ZEC), the other major privacy coin, also rose on the day, gaining 2.4% to $1,209 — making privacy the one sector with a green tint in a red market.

Why are privacy coins outperforming? Part of the answer is narrative: demand for financial privacy infrastructure has been a genuine theme in 2026, with Zcash’s upcoming NU7 network upgrade — which cuts block times from 75 seconds to 25 seconds — giving the sector a concrete catalyst to trade on. Part of it is rotation: when traders lose faith in the broad market, they park capital in coins with independent stories, and privacy has been the most durable independent story of the year.

ZEC, BNB, XRP, SOL and DOGE: A Mixed Majors Board

Beyond Monero, the majors painted a mixed picture. Zcash (ZEC) gained 2.4% to $1,209, extending the privacy theme and holding well above the $1,081 support level that marked its October 16 low. BNB was essentially flat, up 0.1% at $738.83, continuing its run as the most resilient major of the month — a token that has repeatedly held its ground while peers slid. XRP edged up 0.4% to $1.30, a modest gain that at least kept it in the green.

On the losing side, Solana (SOL) slipped 0.3% to $102.26, holding just above the psychologically important $100 level that traders are watching closely. Dogecoin (DOGE) fell 1.2% to $0.0776, underperforming the majors as meme coins continued to lag in a market with little appetite for speculation. The split between the gainers and losers was not dramatic in absolute terms — most moves were under 1.5% — but the direction was clear: defensive, large-cap, and privacy-themed coins held up, while speculative and high-beta names drifted lower.

Whale Flows: Net Outflow as Deposits Lag Withdrawals

On-chain data offered a rare constructive note underneath the red breadth. Basis Desk’s whale tracker logged 450 large transfers during the session, with exchange deposits totaling $429.2 million against withdrawals of $504.1 million — a net outflow of roughly $75 million. Net withdrawals from exchanges are generally read as accumulation: coins moving off exchanges and into private wallets suggest holders are buying to hold rather than preparing to sell.

The contrast with the previous session is striking. A day earlier, the same tracker showed $3.0 billion in deposits against $2.4 billion in withdrawals — a net inflow of roughly $600 million that looked like distribution. The swing from a $600 million net inflow to a $75 million net outflow is a meaningful change in tone, even if the absolute numbers are smaller. It suggests the heavy selling pressure seen earlier in the week may be easing, with large holders stepping back from depositing coins onto exchanges.

What Is Driving the Drift

The market’s slow drift lower has no single cause, which is itself the problem. The October liquidation cascade stripped leverage from the system, and the market has been healing ever since — slowly, unevenly, and without the kind of sharp V-shaped recovery that follows most crypto selloffs. Spot Bitcoin ETF flows have been a headwind, with the funds losing roughly $322 million on October 22 alone, and the average ETF buyer sitting on meaningful unrealized losses near a $90,000 entry price.

Macro uncertainty is the other weight. The Federal Reserve meets on October 27–28, and while rates are expected to stay unchanged, the market is watching for any shift in December cut expectations. September inflation data arrives on October 29, and Brent crude settled at $116.72 on Friday amid Middle East supply fears — an energy shock that complicates the Fed’s job and keeps risk appetite muted. When oil spikes and the Fed is on hold, crypto rarely leads the market higher.

What to Watch Next

First, the Federal Reserve meeting on October 27–28 — the macro event most likely to break Bitcoin out of its $79,000–$81,000 range. Second, the $80,000 level itself: it has held through several tests, but each test is weaker, and a decisive daily close below it opens the mid-$70,000s. Third, the weekly close: analysts are watching whether Bitcoin can reclaim $83,000, and failure to do so would strengthen the bearish case for the rest of the year. Fourth, ETF flows — a return to inflows would be the earliest institutional green shoot.

FAQ

How did Bitcoin perform on October 24? Bitcoin closed the UTC day at $80,782 (−0.2%) in a $79,240–$80,975 range, holding above the key $80,000 level.

What was the top gainer among the majors? Monero (XMR), up 5.2% to $614.81, with Zcash (ZEC) also rising 2.4% to $1,209.

How broad was the market decline? Of the top 50 assets tracked, only 7 rose while 35 fell, with a median move of −1.0%. Total market cap fell 1.3% to $2.66 trillion.

What did whale flows show? The whale tracker logged 450 large transfers, with $429.2M in exchange deposits versus $504.1M in withdrawals — a net outflow of about $75M, suggesting accumulation rather than distribution.

Source: Basis Desk

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