TL;DR
- Starknet (STRK) surged 25% due to increased activity in its Layer 2 ecosystem.
- Zcash (ZEC) rose 18%, leading the privacy sector’s recovery thanks to improved liquidity.
- The market shows a rotation toward altcoins with real utility (scaling, privacy, payments) rather than general euphoria.
The altcoin season is turning out to be different, yet highly focused. In other words, capital is flowing unevenly, rewarding projects with functional ecosystems and measurable participation. There is no generalized rally; instead, the market shows a selective altcoin rotation that has notably benefited Starknet (STRK), Zcash (ZEC), and Dash (DASH), each with significant daily gains.
What this trend suggests is that, even while market sentiment remains cautious, investors are reallocating capital toward assets with clear use-case narratives and solid fundamentals—such as scalability, privacy, and payments—rather than relying solely on short-term speculation or extreme leverage.
Functional Narratives Drive the Rally
Starknet, a key player in Ethereum’s Layer 2 (L2) scalability, is the standout leader, with its price rising 25% in 24 hours to trade near $0.178. This impressive move occurs in parallel with a tangible increase in engagement within Starknet-based applications and an increase in fund inflows to its bridges. Although a recent hackathon added visibility, the rally appears more grounded in incremental user growth and deployment activity within its ecosystem, solidifying its profile as an efficient scaling network.
Meanwhile, in the privacy segment, Zcash (ZEC) is extending its recovery, reaching $573 with an 18% rise. This momentum is attributed to a renewed focus on privacy infrastructure and an improvement in liquidity for its main trading pairs.
Privacy tokens often see capital rotation when other sectors face uncertainty, and Zcash’s liquidity profile has allowed it to maintain a controlled uptrend.
Finally, Dash (DASH) advanced 9%, trading near $73. This move aligns with its primary use case: activity in payment corridors and interest in remittance-oriented systems. Market data shows stable order book depth, suggesting real use activity (peer-to-peer or commercial) rather than speculative bursts.
The pattern across these three assets demonstrates how selective altcoin rotation defines this stage of the cycle. Starknet capitalizes on scaling, Zcash on privacy functionality, and Dash on its transactional relevance. The durability of these rallies will depend on whether this balance between liquidity and participation can persist, or if prices will revert to established ranges once the enthusiasm for these catalysts fades.
