|

Solana leads gains in crypto majors, Bitcoin metric suggests low retail growth

  • Ethereum ecosystem and layer-2 tokens, such as LDO, ARB, and MNT, jumped as much as 7% as Franklin Templeton filed plans for a spot ether ETF.

  • Meanwhile, some market observers pointed out that Google search interest for bitcoin remained at an all-time low compared to the price, implying low retail interest in the topic.

Solana’s SOL led the pack among crypto majors as bitcoin (BTC) briefly crossed the $50,000 mark late Monday, sparking renewed bullish sentiment among traders.

SOL jumped 8%, while ether (ETH) rose 6.6% as bitcoin saw buying pressure after the New York market opened on Monday. Avalanche’s AVAX spiked 6%, while BNB Coin (BNB) and Cardano’s ADA rose a relatively lesser 3%.

The CoinDesk 20, a liquid index of the twenty biggest tokens by capitalization and volumes, minus stablecoins, rose 4%.

Some Ethereum ecosystem tokens, such as staking protocol Lido’s LDO, and layer-2 tokens, such as Arbitrum’s ARB and Mantle’s MNT, jumped as much as 7% as financial giant Franklin Templeton filed plans for a spot ether ETF, joining a rising cohort.

Growth in major and alternative tokens has seemingly tracked the rise of Bitcoin, which touched the $50,000 level for the first time since late 2021. Spot bitcoin ETFs have amassed more than 192,000 tokens as of Friday since they went live nearly a month ago.

Low retail interest

Meanwhile, some market observers pointed out that Google search interest for bitcoin remained at an all-time low compared to the price, implying low retail interest in the topic.

Google Trends allows users to compare the relative volume of searches. However, this does not mean the total number of searches for that term is decreasing it just means its popularity is decreasing compared to other searches. A line trending downward means that a search term’s popularity relative to other popular terms is decreasing.

As such, some traders caution that price retracements in the short-to-medium terms could still be on the cards.

“There’s no upcoming news that may have a price correlation with bitcoin except the halving, which may provide returns in the medium to long term,” shared Ryan Lee, Chief Analyst at Bitget Research, in a note to CoinDesk. “It’s also important to take market’s psychological levels, such as BTC prices ranging from $50K to previous ATH, which may cause larger price retracements.”

Author

CoinDesk Analysis Team

CoinDesk is the media platform for the next generation of investors exploring how cryptocurrencies and digital assets are contributing to the evolution of the global financial system.

More from CoinDesk Analysis Team
Share:

Editor's Picks

Starknet unveils strkBTC, shielded Bitcoin transactions on Ethereum Layer 2

Starknet, the Ethereum Layer 2 network developed by StarkWare, today announced strkBTC, a wrapped Bitcoin asset that introduces optional shielding while preserving full DeFi composability.

Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Ripple consolidate with short-term cautious bullish bias

Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple are consolidating near key technical areas on Friday, showing mild signs of stabilization after recent volatility. BTC holds above $67,000 despite mild losses so far this week, while ETH hovers around $2,000 after a rejection near its upper consolidation boundary.

Ethereum Price Forecast: FG Nexus continues distribution amid signs of returning risk-on sentiment

FG Nexus, once dubbed an Ethereum treasury firm, resumed offloading the top altcoin on Wednesday, distributing 7,550 ETH, according to data from smart money tracker EmberCN.

Top Crypto Gainers: Stable and Decred rally, Pippin approaches record highs

Altcoins, such as Stable, Decred, and Pippin, are extending gains so far this week, defying the risk-averse conditions in the broader cryptocurrency market. Stable and Pippin are near record high levels, while Decred extends its breakout rally above $30.

Bitcoin Price Annual Forecast: BTC holds long-term bullish structure heading into 2026

Bitcoin (BTC) is wrapping up 2025 as one of its most eventful years, defined by unprecedented institutional participation, major regulatory developments, and extreme price volatility.

Bitcoin: Another month of losses, and it’s been five

Bitcoin (BTC) price is stabilizing around $68,000 at the time of writing on Friday, but the Crypto King is poised to close February on a fragile footing, marking its fifth consecutive month of losses since October and a rare start to the year with back-to-back monthly corrections.