Key Takeaways
- Several altcoins, including Binance Coin, Solana, and Cardano, are currently outperforming big players like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and XRP.
- The broader crypto market is still struggling since the flash crash occurred a month ago, and investors expect the rise of a bear market.
- AI-related tokens defy the general market trend; they are outpacing other cryptocurrencies lately.
- Bitcoin dominance decline, decay in Ethereum’s strength, and overall market volatility are the reasons behind the poor market run of BTC, ETH, and XRP.
As of November 8, 2025, the altcoin market and the broader cryptocurrency market are experiencing a sharp downturn. The macroeconomic developments and regulatory upgrades, which were supposed to boost market sentiment, were not as effective as they were expected to be. The latest market data suggest that altcoins have been hit so hard, and the analysts claim that many altcoins are 60% down year over year. Despite the negative market momentum, some special altcoins have managed to outperform prominent cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, and XRP.
According to market analysts, a major decline in Bitcoin dominance was recorded lately, and it is one of the major reasons behind the BTC fall and altcoin dominance. They believe that the capital is now being rotated into altcoins and slowly slipping from BTC. The ETH/BTC ratio has also been breaking out lately, which is another indicator of a broader altcoin momentum. The overall market volatility that the crypto market is experiencing is another factor that increases the market decay. Recently, Bitcoin dropped from a high of $126,000 to near $100,000 in November 2025, and XRP dropped near its $2 psychological level this month, and ETH was also subject to a significant downtrend.
Here are the three major altcoins that are currently outperforming prominent cryptocurrencies like BTC, ETH, and XRP.
1. Binance Coin (BNB)
Binance Coin, also known as BNB, is one of the top three cryptocurrencies that have been outpacing BTC, ETH, and XRP. Currently, BNB shows strong institutional buying and an ETF prospectus, with a 4.58% gain in the last 24 hours, exceeding the gains of BTC (1.46%), ETH (3.88%), and XRP (4.42%) in the same 24-hour period. The enhanced institutional accumulation and interest are driving BNB’s price, which ultimately helps it surpass the market performance of top cryptocurrencies. The third-largest cryptocurrency by market cap is 4.5% up today and has a significant 23% increase in its daily trading volume. This short-term positive momentum is helping BNB reach the $1000 psychological point once again this year and will likely help BNB break its all-time high of $1,370.55, which was recorded a month ago. Binance ecosystem development and constant strong trading volumes have been fueling BNB to post gains enough to outpace BTC and ETH. The experts opine that BNB’s relatively lower risk exposure compared to BTC and ETH, the top two cryptos by market cap, and its high burn rate are playing a major role in this enhanced market momentum.
2. Solana (SOL)
Solana, the 6th largest cryptocurrency by market cap, is 4% higher today and is trading at $163. SOL, generally described as the “Ethereum Killer,” has shown strong market momentum, and it is currently showing early signs of significant market rallies in the future. Speculations around a new altcoin cycle enhanced Layer-1 projects like Solana and helped rebound and align with a 2% crypto market uptick. Solana’s network upgrades, such as the Alpenglow consensus upgrade, fueled its market momentum and helped it outperform the prominent cryptocurrencies like BTC, ETH, and XRP. The recent SOL ETF launch has played a pivotal role in its current bullish market momentum. Even though the ETF launch resulted in an immediate market downturn and triggered a “sell the news” event, later the trend was reversed and has seen a positive shift with consistent institutional inflows.
3. Cardano (ADA)
Cardano is showing a short-term bearish momentum in the market and is 6.7% higher over the last 24 hours. ADA is currently trading at $0.58, below its 50 and 200-day Simple Moving Average. Cardano is advancing and marching toward its scalability upgrades, such as the Hydra Layer-2 protocol, and its governance upgrades and DeFi expansions, along with the enhanced institutional interest, make ADA one of the top-performing altcoins, which outrun cryptocurrencies like BTC, ETH, and XRP, at the moment. According to the crypto experts, Cardano’s ongoing focus on network upgrades and sustainability improves ADA’s utility and use cases. The combined result of improved use cases and renewed investor sentiment helps ADA surpass large cryptocurrencies with a high market cap.
The Bottom Line
The altcoin season debates are heating up at the moment. Some experts believe that the rising momentum of altcoins is indicating a potential altseason at the end of this month. According to them, the declining Bitcoin dominance, increasing institutional interest in Ethereum, and a possible breakout in the altcoin market cap are indicating an altseason. The dominance of altcoins like BNB, SOL, and ADA could be a signal for an upcoming altcoin rally. Several altcoins, including these three, have already outperformed larger cryptocurrencies with high market caps. Overall, their outperformance was mainly driven by fundamental ecosystem development, technical upgrades, and healthy institutional flows