XRP Leads Altcoins as Bitcoin Hits a Snag: Market Frenzy Unfolds

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In the grand theatre of finance, where numbers wear top hats and sigh with the gravitas of clerks at closing time, last week witnessed investors slipping $187 million from digital asset products. The hemorrhage, however, slows its sobbing rhythm, as if the market’s fever has paused to polish its spectacles before stamping yet another impres­sive form. Sentiment, that capricious conspirator, seems to be catching its breath, perhaps plotting a more polite exit from the stage.

CoinShares whispers that this deceleration might mean the panic is subsiding, which could imply the market is whetting its knives for a season of stability and a tepid bottom, like a tired traveler spotting a distant inn after a long, crooked road.

Altcoins Outshine Bitcoin

In its latest Digital Asset Fund Flows Weekly Report, CoinShares reveals that the recent price correction squeezed total assets under management (AuM) down to $129.8 billion-the lowest since the tariff storms of March 2025, which also coincided with a lull in prices. Trading activity surged with the wave, driving exchange-traded product (ETP) volumes to a record-breaking $63.1 billion, as if the market woke up with a caffeinated shout and decided not to pretend to be quiet anymore.

This figure outshadows the previous peak of $56.4 billion recorded in October of the year prior, a triumph that would make a milder tea seem heroic by contrast. The robust activity signals rising interest and momentum, or at least that the money isn’t merely tiptoeing around with a polite cough.

Bitcoin’s mood turned sour, as it bore $264 million in outflows, with $11.6 million moseying out of short positions. In contrast, altcoins attracted a fresh parade of capital, with XRP leading at $63.1 million, Solana $8.2 million, and Ethereum $5.3 million. XRP continues to lord year-to-date inflows, tallying $109 million. Chainlink and Litecoin posted more modest gains of $1.5 million and $1 million.

Additionally, multi-asset products raked in $9.3 million over the past week.

Outflows concentrated in the US at $214 million, with Sweden at $135 million, and Australia at a mere $1.2 million. Yet other regions exhibited meaningful inflows. Germany received $87.1 million, Switzerland $30.1 million, Canada $21.4 million, Brazil $16.7 million, and Hong Kong $6.8 million. The data paints a mixed global picture, as if the world’s map has decided to improvise a little.

Favorable ETFs and Macro Trends

Price weakness persists as Bitcoin slipped to $69,000 on Sunday and lingered near that level into Monday. Yet Bitget’s CMO, Ignacio Aguirre Franco, argues the crypto asset still has a path to the $150,000-$180,000 range this year if ETF flows stabilize and macro conditions improve. Ongoing Layer 2 development and growing DeFi activity bolster Ethereum’s outlook, with Franco muttering of a potential target of $5,000-$6,000 should traditional finance waltz into the parade.

“Regulatory developments like the recent Clarity Bill and advancing market-structure legislation will also positively impact crypto markets by providing clearer compliance frameworks that reduce uncertainty and make these assets more attractive to institutions and traditional funds. As institutional capital finds easier entry points and global regulatory alignment improves, overall market stability and innovation are reinforced.”

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2026-02-09 17:50