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- Zafar Naik
Zafar Naik
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Sohrab KhawasSohrab is a passionate cryptocurrency news writer with over five years of experience covering the industry. He keeps a keen interest in blockchain technology and its potential to revolutionize finance. Whether he's trading or writing, Sohrab always keeps his finger on the pulse of the crypto world, using his expertise to deliver informative and engaging articles that educate and inspire. When he's not analyzing the markets, Sohrab indulges in his hobbies of graphic design, minimal design or listening to his favorite hip-hop tunes.
- Feb 21, 2026 09:57 UTC
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Altcoins Outperform Bitcoin After Supreme Court Tariff Ruling: Altcoin Season Starting?
BNB, DOGE, ADA, and SOL gained 3-4% while Bitcoin barely moved after the Supreme Court struck down Trump's tariffs.
A key altcoin chart signal just fired for the first time since 2020, and its track record is hard to ignore.
The Fear and Greed Index is at 14, but prices are climbing.
BNB, DOGE, ADA, and SOL each gained 3 to 4% in the last 24 hours while Bitcoin sat still. The total crypto market climbed 1.39% to $2.33 trillion, and the move came from altcoins, not BTC.
What triggered the rotation? The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that President Trump’s global tariffs were illegal. Most traders expected a sell-off. Instead, capital moved out of Bitcoin and into altcoins.
Blockchain advisor Anndy Lian noted that “the outperformance we see today stems from internal momentum that traditional markets cannot replicate.”
Bitcoin dominance held at 58.27%. That means investors aren’t selling BTC. They’re moving money into tokens they think have more room to run in the short term.
Altcoin MACD Signal Fires for the First Time in 6 Years
Crypto analyst Dan Gambardello pointed to a chart signal that has a strong track record. The MACD on the Others/BTC chart just crossed above the signal line, with two green histogram bars now forming.
The same signal appeared before the 2017 and 2020 altcoin booms. Both times, it showed up right as PMI expansion began. That matters because quantitative tightening ended on December 1, 2025, and PMI expansion is close to starting again.
Gambardello called it “the trigger for the bull for altcoins” in every previous cycle.
Fear and Greed Index at 14, But Prices Are Rising
The Fear and Greed Index is sitting at 14, well inside extreme fear. Yet the market is moving up. That kind of disconnect has historically come right before short-term relief rallies.
Lian said that “this disconnect between sentiment and price action suggests that the market has already priced in significant pessimism, leaving room for upside surprises.”
Key Levels to Watch Next
The total market cap is now testing the 78.6% Fibonacci retracement at $2.35 trillion. A daily close above that level would signal a short-term trend reversal. A rejection could send prices back toward the $2.17 trillion monthly low.
Adding to the pressure, the Clarity Act faces a White House-set March 1 deadline. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has said there’s a 90% chance it passes by end of April. If it does, it could open the door for institutional money that’s been waiting on regulatory clarity before touching altcoins.
The setup is there. Now it comes down to follow-through.
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FAQs
Capital rotated from BTC into altcoins after the tariff ruling, as traders sought higher short-term upside in tokens like BNB, SOL, ADA, and DOGE.
Not necessarily. A single rotation doesn’t confirm a multi-month altseason; sustained higher highs, rising volume, and falling Bitcoin dominance typically confirm a broader cycle shift. Traders usually look for consistent capital inflows over several weeks before calling a structural trend change.
PMI expansion often signals improving economic activity, which can increase investor risk appetite. When liquidity conditions improve, speculative assets like altcoins tend to attract more capital as traders seek higher returns.
Key signals include sustained volume in altcoin pairs, continued strength against BTC, and stable macro conditions. A failure to hold breakout levels could indicate the move was a temporary relief rally rather than a durable trend.
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