Altcoins Near a Bottom: Here’s Why the Market Could Rally in 2026

TLDR:

• Russell 2000 posts record monthly close, signaling rising liquidity and risk appetite.
  
• Historical cycles show altcoins rally after small caps accelerate and BTC aligns.
  
• Bitcoin maintains bullish higher-timeframe trend from 2022 lows despite short-term pullbacks.
  
• Macro signals, including rate cuts and potential QE, support a possible 2026 altcoin rally.

Altcoins appear to be approaching a bottom as fresh macro and market signals point toward improving liquidity conditions in the United States. 

Recent performance across traditional markets indicates that risk appetite is returning, creating an environment that has historically supported strong rallies in Bitcoin and alternative assets. Current structures show a mid-cycle phase rather than the formation of a long retracement.

The Russell 2000 index has become a central indicator in this narrative. 

Its steady move toward record levels reflects strengthening liquidity and increased investor willingness to engage in higher-risk markets. Such conditions previously aligned with major altcoin expansions, especially when Bitcoin reconnected with broader equity trends.

Small Caps Signal Increasing Liquidity for Crypto

A statement from Bull Theory notes that the Russell 2000 has posted the strongest monthly close in its history while moving toward its 2025 highs. 

This development places small caps at the upper boundary of a long-term range. The index has again moved through important levels previously touched in 2015, 2018 and 2021. During those periods, Bitcoin advanced soon after, and altcoins followed with a delay.

Historical comparisons show that altcoins tend to track US liquidity changes. 

When small caps accelerate, it usually signals rising liquidity across the broader economy. That shift has consistently created favorable conditions for crypto. The current environment resembles the structure that developed before the strong altcoin cycle of 2020–2021, when small caps rallied first.

According to the tweet, a multi-year bear market has never started while the Russell 2000 pushed into new highs.

Extended downturns only appeared when small caps weakened. With today’s index levels firmly elevated, the setup suggests that crypto remains aligned with a continuation pattern.

Bitcoin continues to maintain a bullish higher-timeframe structure from the 2022 lows. 

Some short-term levels changed, yet the broader structure remains intact. Bitcoin is attempting to re-couple with equities as liquidity improves, setting the stage for altcoins to react with their typical lag.

Macro Shifts Support a Possible 2026 Rally

Macro developments add another layer to this outlook. The Federal Reserve has begun a rate-cut cycle, which usually improves liquidity conditions across risk markets.

Large banks now anticipate policy actions resembling quantitative easing by early 2026, driven by rising debt and funding pressures.

Comments from President Donald Trump about removing income tax and providing tariff-based dividends introduce the prospect of additional liquidity.

 While these proposals remain political, markets continue to model their potential effects on risk-oriented assets. They form part of broader expectations for rising liquidity through 2025 and 2026.

Altcoins and the Russell 2000 historically move together during periods of expanding liquidity. With today’s metrics showing similar patterns, the setup aligns with previous cycles that preceded strong gains. Bitcoin’s position below recent highs mirrors earlier cycles when lag periods eventually turned into broader rallies across alternative assets.

More analysts now expect a cycle peak in 2026 rather than 2025. Combined with rising small caps, a stable higher-timeframe Bitcoin trend and forward-leaning macro expectations, the current environment suggests that altcoins may be nearing a bottom and could rally into 2026 if these conditions persist.