Bitcoin Dominance Index — 30-Day Chart
Bitcoin's share of total crypto market cap. Key cycle indicator for timing BTC vs altcoin exposure.
What Is Bitcoin Dominance?
Bitcoin Dominance (BTC.D) measures Bitcoin's market capitalization as a percentage of the total crypto market cap. It's one of the most widely-watched macro indicators in crypto, used to gauge whether capital is flowing into Bitcoin (rising dominance) or rotating into altcoins (falling dominance).
Cycle Interpretation
Historically, bull market cycles follow a pattern: BTC leads the rally and dominance rises → dominance peaks as BTC consolidates → capital rotates to large-cap alts (ETH, SOL) → then to mid and small-caps → eventually dominance recovers as late-cycle speculation reverses. Spotting these phases early is one of the highest-value skills in crypto trading.
Typical Levels
Dominance above 60% typically means a conservative, BTC-first market. The 50-60% range is neutral territory. Below 45% has historically coincided with peak alt season euphoria — also the highest-risk zone. In 2017, dominance fell from 95% to 35%; in 2021 it bottomed near 40%. Current levels and the 30-day trend together tell you where in that spectrum we are now.