Waking up to the red on the crypto charts isn’t exactly what most investors dream of on a Monday morning. The global cryptocurrency market, known for its wild swings and unpredictable moods, began the week with a slight pullback, reminding us once again just how volatile and fast-paced this space can be.

Bitcoin (BTC), the original digital asset and the bellwether of the crypto world, slipped below the $103,000 mark, sparking concern and curiosity among traders worldwide. At the time of writing, BTC was priced at $102,857.95, showing a minor 24-hour decline of 0.49 percent. For Indian investors, that meant the price of one Bitcoin stood around Rs 88.10 lakh.

Ethereum Takes a Bigger Hit While Market Sentiment Stays in ‘Greed’ Zone

While Bitcoin showed only a modest drop, Ethereum (ETH), the second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap, took a bigger hit. ETH was trading at $2,362.12, marking a 5.10 percent decline in the last 24 hours. In Indian markets, Ethereum was available for around Rs 2.02 lakh. Despite the dip, the broader market sentiment remained relatively optimistic, with the Fear & Greed Index sitting firmly at 71 (Greed), indicating that investors are still holding onto their confidence.

Dogecoin, Solana, and Ripple Show Mixed Signals in a Shaky Market

Not all coins followed the downward spiral. Dogecoin (DOGE) managed to sneak in a tiny gain, trading at $0.2174, up by 0.11 percent, and priced at Rs 18.63 in India. On the other hand, Solana (SOL) and Ripple (XRP) saw some losses. Solana dipped to $164.01, down 3.18 percent, and XRP fell to $2.33, losing 1.57 percent. Indian prices for SOL and XRP stood at Rs 14,097.14 and Rs 199.58, respectively.

Meanwhile, Litecoin (LTC), often regarded as the silver to Bitcoin’s gold, traded at $95.18 with a 2.30 percent drop, available for Rs 8,144.86 in Indian markets.

Virtuals Protocol Leads the Gainers as Investors Look for Hidden Gems

Even on days when the overall market is down, some altcoins manage to shine. Virtuals Protocol (VIRTUAL) led the pack of gainers with a notable 9.40 percent jump, bringing its price to $1.85. The buzz around new and niche tokens continues to grow, and VIRTUAL’s impressive surge shows that investors are keeping an eye out for the next big thing.

Pepe (PEPE) and Floki (FLOKI) also stayed in the green, with gains of 3.03 percent and 2.51 percent, respectively. These meme coins continue to ride waves of community enthusiasm and social media hype, which seems to remain a powerful force in the altcoin world.

FORM and TAO Struggle as Market Adjusts

While some tokens gained, others faced the heat. Four (FORM) saw the biggest drop, with its price falling by 7.74 percent to $2.64. Close behind was Bittensor (TAO), which fell nearly 5.94 percent to settle at $399.43. Even large-cap tokens like Maker (MKR) and Ethereum (ETH) weren’t spared, showing losses of over 5 percent.

Interestingly, EOS also made it to the losers’ list with a price of $0.7553, after slipping 5.06 percent in 24 hours. These corrections could be short-term reactions or signs of deeper market sentiment shifts.

A Slight Dip or the Start of a Trend?

The global crypto market cap currently sits at $3.25 trillion, reflecting a 1.05 percent drop over the past 24 hours. While that may sound concerning, in the world of crypto, such movements are often just the market catching its breath. With investor sentiment still in “Greed” territory, this could very well be a brief pause before another upward rally.

For now, all eyes will remain on how Bitcoin and Ethereum behave over the next few days. Will BTC reclaim the $105K mark? Will Ethereum bounce back to $2,500? Only time will tell.