Business · Markets · 3 hrs ago
Some altcoins lack the trading depth to sell at rising prices
A market analysis found that Bitcoin has gained trading depth while many altcoins have not.
Trading depth means how many buy and sell orders are waiting near an asset’s current price.
The report compared conditions a year after a major crypto sell-off in October 2025, when about $19 billion in leveraged positions were liquidated in 24 hours.
Since then, trading has increasingly concentrated in Bitcoin and a few larger digital assets.
Some altcoins have risen by more than 200% this year, but a high displayed return may be hard to realize if there are too few buyers when investors try to sell.
Large sell orders in a thin market can push prices down sharply, so investors may receive less than the price they see on screen.
The analysis says this divide may continue until trading activity and order depth improve across smaller assets.
Some altcoins have posted large gains this year, but their trading depth has not recovered to earlier levels, a report says.
The report warns that investors may be unable to sell large holdings at expected prices if buy orders are too thin.
Bitcoin’s order book depth near its current price rose 30% from the start of the year, while surveyed altcoin markets lagged.
Trading has increasingly concentrated in Bitcoin and a small number of larger digital assets, according to the report.
The report’s publisher, Bitplanet, disclosed that its own business interests could affect its topic selection and interpretation.
- Who
- Bitplanet Research Lab issued the report. It examines Bitcoin and altcoin trading conditions.
- What
- The report says some altcoins lack enough order-book depth for investors to sell large holdings at desired prices.
- When
- The report was released on October 28, 2026. It compares market conditions with those after the October 10, 2025, liquidation event.
- Where
- Not stated
- Why
- Thin buy orders can leave prices vulnerable to sharp falls when large amounts are sold.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
A sharp crypto-market decline triggered about $19 billion in leveraged liquidations over 24 hours.
Bitplanet Research Lab released its report on altcoin recovery prospects.
Donga Ilbo published its article about the report.
- Bitcoin order-book depth
- About $11.7 million within 1% of its price, up 30% from about $9 million at the start of 2026
- Solana order-book depth
- Buy and sell depth within 2% of its price fell about 29%, from about $28 million to about $20 million
- XRP order-book depth
- About $30 million in combined buy and sell orders, similar to the previous year
- Top 10 altcoins
- Their share of total altcoin trading volume rose from about 50% to 63% over several months
- HYPE return
- About 236% year to date as of October 21
- NEAR return
- 218% year to date as of October 21
What people are saying
The current altcoin market is closer to a structural realignment in which trading is concentrated in a small number of large assets than to a short-term delay in recovery.
Until recovery in order-book liquidity and trading volume spreads across small- and mid-sized assets, polarization is likely to continue, with trading concentrated in major assets such as Bitcoin and certain altcoins.
In a market where order-book barriers have thinned, the amount of capital needed to move prices itself falls.
On the surface, high returns may instead reflect an unstable market environment in which prices can shift sharply even on low trading volume.