Bitcoin pushed past $81,000 on Tuesday, its first trip above that level since mid-May, extending a rally that started below $65,000 about a week ago. The surge added nearly $100 billion to total crypto market cap in a single day, lifting it to $2.770 trillion on CoinGecko. Bitcoin's own market cap now sits at $1.6 trillion.
Bitcoin's 15-week high
The climb wasn't smooth. A weekend dip pulled Bitcoin down to $75,500 before buyers stepped back in and drove it to the current high. Dominance is running at 58% on CoinGecko and close to 60% on CoinMarketCap, a level that suggests money is still flowing into Bitcoin before it spreads elsewhere. Still, the recovery comes after months of sideways action since the mid-May peak.
Solana and HYPE break out
Solana was the standout among majors, jumping 7% to above $100 for the first time in months. HYPE, the native token of Hyperliquid, traded near $82, just shy of its all-time high of $83. Both moves point to appetite for risk beyond Bitcoin, even if the market's attention is still on the biggest coin.
Zcash flips Dogecoin
Zcash has now surpassed Dogecoin to become the 10th-largest cryptocurrency by market cap. It's a notable shift for a privacy coin that's spent most of the year outside the top ten, and it signals that traders are rotating into assets with a specific utility story this week.
The laggards: ETH, XRP, BNB
Not everything is popping. Ethereum stayed below $2,500, XRP was stuck at $1.50, and BNB only just returned above $700. The divergence is stark — Bitcoin, Solana and a few select altcoins are carrying the tape while some of the biggest names sit flat. Whether the laggards catch up or the leaders stall is the next open question.
