Bitcoin Fell 2% This Week. These 5 Altcoins Fell Up to 13.5%.
A 2% Bitcoin dip turned into double-digit carnage for five altcoins, and the reasons why reveal something surprising about which coin is quietly attracting fresh money while the others bleed out.
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Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC) fell 2% in the week leading up to October 15, 2026, trading at $80,896. In contrast, five altcoins suffered much more significant losses, raising the question of which one may lead the recovery of altcoins.
Hedera (CRYPTO: HBAR) took the biggest hit, falling by 13.5%, while Aave (CRYPTO: AAVE) dropped 12.5%. Cardano (CRYPTO: ADA) and Sui (CRYPTO: SUI) both fell 11.5%, and NEAR (CRYPTO: NEAR) fell 10.8%.
So, which of these coins is most likely to bounce back first?
Why Altcoins Fell Up to 6.9 Times Harder Than Bitcoin
The disparity in losses likely reflects liquidity and leverage, which primarily reflect market conditions rather than the quality of the projects themselves. Liquidity refers to how easily a trader can buy or sell a coin without significantly affecting its price. Smaller altcoins generally have thinner order books, meaning that a small amount of selling can push their prices down much more than it would for Bitcoin.
Leverage amplifies the situation. Traders who borrow to increase their positions can be liquidated when losses exceed their collateral, causing the exchange to automatically close positions. In smaller coins, these forced sales happen more quickly and lead to even greater price declines, effectively turning a 2% drop in Bitcoin into an 11% to 13% drop for these altcoins.
To illustrate the impact, here’s how much each altcoin fell compared to Bitcoin:
- Hedera: Fell 6.9 times as much as Bitcoin
- Aave: Fell 6.4 times as much
- Cardano: Fell 5.9 times as much
- Sui: Fell 5.9 times as much
- NEAR: Fell 5.5 times as much
These numbers reflect how each coin reacted to the market selloff, not their underlying quality, which requires further analysis.
Hedera, Aave, Cardano, Sui and NEAR Are Still Up Over 30 Days
While this week was tough, it’s essential to keep the numbers in context. Over the last 30 days, NEAR has surged 100.7%, Sui 41.5%, Aave 19.1%, Cardano 9.2%, and Hedera 6.9%. Despite recent setbacks, these altcoins have retained some of their monthly gains.
Hedera, which operates through a council of large corporations, has the weakest performance, with both the largest drop this week and the smallest monthly gain, leaving it with the least buffer if selling pressure continues. Cardano, a blockchain designed for smart contracts and applications, also has a narrow cushion, with a 9.2% monthly gain.
Aave, a platform for lending and borrowing crypto, holds a moderate 19.1% gain. Sui, tailored for fast applications and transactions, has preserved a substantial 41.5% gain. NEAR, a blockchain for running applications, fell the least among the five and posted the highest monthly gain, putting it in a strong position.
NEAR Is the Only One of the 5 Drawing Fund Inflows
Notably, NEAR is the only coin among these five to record an inflow on October 14. This suggests fresh capital is entering investment products holding NEAR, while the other four coins saw no inflows that day.
This inflow metric is unique because it reflects demand, unlike previous figures, which only show price changes. It highlights buyers stepping in while sellers were active. However, this single day of fund inflow is a preliminary indicator; future reports will determine if this trend continues.
NEAR’s primary risk is its significant monthly gain of 100.7%, meaning many holders are sitting on substantial paper profits. If they cash out, this selling pressure could offset new demand and drag NEAR down more than Sui or Aave, which have smaller gains.
Which Coin Could Lead the Altcoin Recovery?
Currently, NEAR appears best positioned for a quick recovery. Its recent dip was the smallest, it maintained the highest monthly gain, and it attracted the only fund inflow among the five, suggesting fresh demand. This momentum could help NEAR recover faster than its peers, although profit-taking by early buyers could alter that outlook.
Upcoming fund flow reports will be critical to this narrative. If NEAR’s 30-day gain falls below Sui’s 41.5%, or if NEAR sees outflows while the others attract investment, the outlook may change. However, if NEAR continues to attract new inflows while the others do not, it stands a good chance of leading the pack in recovery.
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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
