Cryptocurrency

Crypto Kicks Off Q4 With More Momentum Than Stocks or Gold: Which Will Carry Bitcoin, XRP, or Solana the Furthest?

Bitcoin broke its worst seasonal pattern, XRP is drawing fresh institutional money, and Solana is quietly outpacing both on a key metric that tends to predict which coin moves first when a rally gets real.

By Sam Daodu
Published September 30, 2026, 6:14pm ET · 3 min read

The Crypto Desk desk. Editor: Sam Daodu.

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A line graph tracking the percentage change of three assets from early 2024 to late 2026. The x-axis shows dates like 1/1, 4/2, 7/2, 10/1, while the y-axis indicates percentage change from -80.00% to +100.00%. A light blue line represents Bitcoin (BTCUSD) ending at -2.04%. A red line represents Gold (GC1) ending at +45.51%. An orange line represents Silver (SI1) ending at +46.97%. The Gold and Silver lines consistently show positive growth, largely staying above the 0% mark. The Bitcoin line trends negatively for most of the period but exhibits a sharp upward recovery beginning around mid-2026, rising significantly towards the 0% mark by the chart's end.
This chart illustrates the percentage change of Bitcoin (light blue), Gold (red), and Silver (orange) from early 2024 to late 2026. While Gold and Silver maintained substantial positive growth over the period, Bitcoin shows a distinct upward trend towards the close of the chart, hinting at renewed momentum. © Koyfin

Bitcoin (CRYPTO:BTC) saw a rise of roughly 7% in September 2026, while the S&P 500 barely budged, and gold dipped over 6%, according to data from the crypto analytics firm Santiment. This sets the stage for crypto to enter the fourth quarter with more energy than both stocks and gold, with Bitcoin, XRP, and Solana all showing significant gains since early summer.

All three cryptocurrencies, however, are still down for the year and far from their all-time highs. So, which one of Bitcoin, XRP, or Solana has the best chance of turning a strong quarter into a sustained recovery?

Bitcoin, XRP, and Solana Have All Gained Over 35% in 90 Days

a consumer basket at the bottom of which there are coins of electronic cryptocurrencies Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Ripple, as a concept for optat on the Internet

Anjelika Melnychenko / Shutterstock.com

Over the last 90 days, Solana (CRYPTO: SOL) has surged approximately 48%, XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) is up about 37%, and Bitcoin has increased around 36%. Notably, Bitcoin’s September gain broke its usual pattern of declining during a month that is historically its weakest.

Despite these recent gains, Bitcoin is currently near $83,995, down about 4% for 2026 and 27% over the past year. XRP trades around $1.49, down 19% for the year and 48% over the past 12 months, while Solana stands at about $118, down 4% for 2026 and 43% year over year.

All three cryptocurrencies remain significantly below their previous highs, with Bitcoin trading 33% below its all-time peak of $126,080, XRP 59% below $3.65, and Solana 60% under its record of $293. This means that investors who held onto these coins over the past year are still waiting for a breakthrough.

Solana ETFs Took In the Most Money for Their Size

Closeup of golden Solana cryptocurrency surrounded by more coins and defocused stars background

alfernec / Shutterstock.com

Santiment attributes the recent rally to strong demand from funds, corporate purchases, clearer regulations, and increased interest in currencies beyond Bitcoin. Examining ETF flows shows where this demand has been strongest.

In the week ending September 25, U.S. Bitcoin ETFs attracted about $2.4 billion, while Solana funds brought in a record $188 million and XRP funds accumulated around $76 million. By market value, this means Solana funds captured about 0.27% of Solana’s $70 billion market value, Bitcoin funds acquired roughly 0.14% of Bitcoin’s $1.67 trillion, and XRP funds made up about 0.08% of XRP’s $95 billion.

Additionally, Solana funds have experienced inflows for over 12 consecutive weeks. In contrast, XRP’s most significant news involves Evernorth, as Armada’s shareholders have reportedly approved the merger that would take Evernorth and its 473 million XRP to Nasdaq.

Higher Rates Could Cut the Q4 Crypto Rally Short

Two metallic Bitcoin coins are prominently displayed against a dark, abstract digital background with subtle circuit board patterns. A glowing blue bar chart, representing financial data, overlays the coins. The scene is illuminated by blue and orange light effects, creating a futuristic and dynamic impression of digital finance.

Phongphan / Shutterstock.com

Santiment also cautions that rising bond yields and high leverage—when too many traders are using borrowed funds in the same direction—could trigger sharp pullbacks in the market. As of September 25, the 10-year Treasury yield stood at 5.17%, offering a secure return that competes with cryptocurrencies that offer no interest.

With the Federal Reserve raising rates on September 16 and set to meet again on October 27 and 28, a favorable inflation report has reduced the chances of another hike to about 35%. However, a negative report before that meeting could raise the chance of another hike and negatively impact all three coins simultaneously.

Which of Bitcoin, XRP, and Solana Carries Crypto’s Q4 Momentum Furthest?

At this point, Solana appears best positioned to maintain momentum. It has posted the most substantial gain over the last 90 days, has the smallest decline for 2026, and has seen the strongest ETF inflows relative to its size. While Bitcoin has the largest overall inflows, its sheer size means those inflows have less impact on price movement. XRP, by contrast, has attracted the least for its size.

So, as we look at which coin might lead crypto’s Q4 rally, Solana currently holds the edge, though it still trails 60% behind its high. If Solana sees a week of net withdrawals or drops below $110 (about 7% lower), that advantage could slip away, especially if an October rate hike hurts all three coins.

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Sam Daodu

Sam Daodu is a crypto analyst who's spent nearly a decade making blockchain understandable—no easy task when most whitepapers read like fever dreams. He writes for 24/7 Wall St., covering Bitcoin, altcoins, and crypto market analysis for investors. Before crypto, he was a tech writer (back when explaining "the cloud" was peak innovation). Since 2018, he's written for CoinTelegraph, Yahoo Finance, The Block, Cryptonews, Zypto, Rain, and more—basically anywhere people want crypto news without the headache. Sam runs MacLabs Marketing, a content agency for crypto brands tired of sounding like AI wrote their website. He also publishes free crypto education on his site for Web3 enthusiasts who think "gas fees" is a typo. When he's not writing or staring at charts, Sam's either: - Watching anime (currently convinced One Piece has better tokenomics than most altcoins) - At the gym sculpting himself into a Greek god - Listening to the music your mum warned you only bad boys listen to Connect: LinkedIn | Email | MacLabs Marketing

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