Altcoin sell pressure hits a 5-year extreme
Altcoin investors are dumping on centralized exchanges (CEXs) at a pace not seen in more than five years. As of June 17, the cumulative buy/sell quote volume difference for altcoins, excluding Bitcoin (BTC). . .
Altcoin investors are dumping on centralized exchanges (CEXs) at a pace not seen in more than five years. As of June 17, the cumulative buy/sell quote volume difference for altcoins, excluding Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH), had fallen to over $250 billion in net selling, according todatafromCryptoQuant. As such, altcoin sellers have outnumbered buyers for roughly 17 consecutive months. Cumulative buy/sell quote volume difference for altcoins. Source: CryptoQuantThe metric climbed steadily through 2024, approaching neutral by mid-January 2025, signaling renewed investor demand after several years of net selling. From that peak, it reversed sharply, with sellers overwhelming buyers in the months since and driving the steepest altcoin capitulation on record. The intense altcoin selling pressure over the past year and a half May have been due to capital rotation to theartificial intelligence(AI) market. Furthermore, the industry has experienced low demand following the delayed approval of theClarity Act, a proposed U. S. federal law aimed at regulating crypto assets, which recently cleared the Senate Banking Committee for the floor debate. What’s next for altcoin market amid extreme sell-off?The notable altcoin sell-off since early 2025 has fueled the crypto sell-off. Furthermore, the TOTAL3, a measure of crypto market cap excluding Bitcoin and Ethereum, dropped from a peak of about $1. 15 trillion to approximately $696. 93 billion at press time, as per metrics fromTradingView. TOTAL3 1-day chart. Source: TradingViewNotably, the TOTAL3 accelerated sell-off in late 2025 coincided with aggressive dumping on centralized exchanges. However, the TOTAL3 has been retesting a strong buy wall around $696 billion, which could trigger a fresh wave of altcoin accumulation over the coming months. On the other hand, if the altcoin dumping continues, the TOTAL3 may capitulate further over the near future, thereby worsening the macro bear market. Best Crypto Exchange for Intermediate Traders and InvestorsInvest in cryptocurrencies and 3,000+ other assets including stocks and precious metals. 0% commission on stocks - buy in bulk or just a fraction from as little as $10. Other fees apply. For more information, visit etoro. com/trading/fees. Copy top-performing traders in real time, automatically. eToro USA is registered with FINRA for securities trading. 30+ millionUsers worldwideeToro is a multi-asset investment platform. The value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk. Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment and you should not expect to be protected if something goes wrong. Take 2 mins to learn more. Join Finbold's newsroom, become a Sales Executive today!Apply now to join Finbold as a crypto/finance news writer!Open Positions