Bitcoin Dominance May Have Peaked This Cycle, Raoul Pal Says, Altcoins Could Be Next

Real Vision founder Raoul Pal has warned that we may be nearing the peak of Bitcoin’s dominance this cycle.

In an X post on Wednesday, Pal stated that DeMark Indicators are flashing top signals on the daily, weekly, and monthly charts for Bitcoin dominance. This signals that several months of Bitcoin at the top of the market may be coming to an end, and we could be seeing a shift in the crypto market.

Bitcoin dominance is now at nearly 65%. This figure has been increasing steadily since December 2024, although it’s still yet to reach the 2021 high of 74%, or the 2017 high previously. However, this strong upward trend may be weakening, especially in comparison to the strong decrease in the same period last year.

DeMark Tops Flash Warning Signs

Pal’s analysis relies on technical analysis tools called DeMark Indicators, which are used to identify when a trend could be losing momentum. The indicators were created by market veteran Tom DeMark, and they’re designed to pick up subtle changes in price patterns and volume.

Although Pal didn’t specifically state what the exact signals were that he watched for, one of the TD Sequential’s functions is to find turning points like this. They work by counting specific price ranges and market days to generate signals that could indicate a trend is exhausted.

Currently, Bitcoin is over 6% higher since the beginning of 2025 and has just reclaimed the $103k level. The coin is slowly making its way toward the $105,000 threshold. But while Bitcoin is going higher, most other cryptocurrencies have not been able to keep pace.

Statistics indicate that the TOTAL2 index, which captures the value of the crypto market excluding Bitcoin, has fallen by almost 20% this year. It declined from $1.34 trillion to $1.07 trillion. This difference between Bitcoin and the rest of the market has contributed to increasing Bitcoin’s dominance. If Pal’s analysis is correct, this difference will soon begin to narrow.

"As soon as BTC peaks, we may see money flowing back into altcoins," said Pal.

Traders usually move their focus from Bitcoin to smaller coins as soon as they feel the top coin has gotten its run out. Capital tends to rotate between different asset classes in search of the best returns. In this case, as Bitcoin reaches the apex of its cycle, it may signal the onset of altcoin season.

This is a term used to describe a period of strong price increases in cryptocurrencies other than Bitcoin, typically occurring later in a bull market. As capital flows out of Bitcoin and into altcoins, it can heighten the pace of the bull market and generate even greater returns for those who capitalize on the shift in time.

Pal also mentioned what he refers to as the “Banana Zone.” It’s his terminology for a period where prices accelerate in a sharp, curved trajectory — sort of like a banana. He divides this into three phases. Phase one, he says, began in November 2024, when the prices of crypto started to break out.

Now he believes we’re entering phase two, which he calls the “Banana Singularity.” That’s the part where altcoins start rising faster than Bitcoin, as more investors start hunting for bigger gains in riskier coins. This is usually when people start seeing major moves across smaller tokens.

Pal’s message is crystal clear: Bitcoin’s time at the top may be slowing down. If the technical indicators are correct, altcoins may soon be taking center stage. It wouldn’t be the first time. In previous bull runs, capital rotated out of Bitcoin and into altcoins as the top coin’s dominance tailed off.