Bitcoin peaked slightly above $126,000 in October 2026 and has fallen by more than 40% since then, repeatedly dipping below $70,000 and raising concerns about a potential bear-market phase. Despite the drawdown, a set of 30 bull-market peak signals tracked on Coinglass has not triggered, with some measures showing late-cycle progress but still short of their historical peak conditions.

Ethereum rebounded above $2,100 after recent volatility, but on-chain watchers say some large holders have shifted from accumulation to selling. A dormant wallet reportedly sent 15,000 ETH (about $30.97 million) to Coinbase, and another whale sold 15,002 ETH on March 23 for roughly $30.97 million. With ETH around $2,100 and down more than 5% over the past seven days, continued large sell-offs could add pressure and test $2,000.

Ethereum whale wallets holding more than 100,000 ETH have moved back into profit as ETH trades above $2,150. CryptoQuant says this is the first time these addresses have been profitable since early February 2026, prompting debate over whether whales will hold or take profit. Analysts highlighted potential upside targets and a possible sell wall near $2,350.

Bitcoin has stayed below $100,000 for four straight months after first clearing that level in 2024, a stretch the article describes as consistent with bear-market conditions. Crypto Tice argues retail activity has fallen sharply since BTC set an all-time high, with the biggest drop coming from transactions under $10,000. The analyst says upside may remain capped until retail share rises above 10% again, after peaking at 30% at the start of 2025.

DeFi researcher and market analyst Sherlock said Bitcoin's push to about $76,000 last week was a short-lived deviation rather than a durable breakout, and he continues to point to roughly $53,000 as the next downside area. He added that the weekly candle could confirm the move if it closes below $72,500, while BTC was trading around $68,100 after a steep one-day drop and ongoing weakness.

Altcoin spot trading has continued to cool, with CryptoQuant analyst Darkfost noting volumes across Binance and other large exchanges have fallen to extreme lows versus February and October 2025. Binance’s altcoin spot volume dropped to $7.7 billion while other exchanges combined handled about $18.8 billion, putting Binance near 40% of the total. The data also shows prior spikes above $40 billion were common in 2025, but activity has stayed compressed since the start of 2026.

Crypto analyst X Finance Bull argues that XRP's 100 billion token supply can function as a distribution tool for institutions rather than a drawback. He said on March 18 that Ripple is estimated to hold between 39 billion and 44 billion XRP, and outlined a plan to move 20 million to 25 million XRP to institutional partners. The thesis ties the potential decline of Ripple's share below 20% to greater decentralization and potentially higher regulatory comfort.

Crypto market commentator Sykodelic posted on X on March 17 arguing that Bitcoin’s current cycle should not be read through the popular four-year framework. He said the model is based on only two historical data points and is anchored to time rather than economic conditions, while the business cycle offers a more grounded way to gauge where the market stands.

Ethereum has remained below $5,000 even as Bitcoin printed new all-time highs, but analyst commentary argues a move back toward prior resistance could shift the outlook. Crypto analyst Javon Marks said a break above $4,900 could set ETH on a path toward $8,500, while derivatives metrics showed open interest rising from about $25 billion last week to over $32 billion this week alongside higher volume.