Redefining Altseason: The Old Altseason Capital Flow Cycle Is Obsolete, Says CryptoQuant CEO

Ki Young Ju, the founder and CEO of CryptoQuant, has challenged the traditional notion of Altcoin Season. He suggests that the old capital flow cycle leading to altcoin surges has become obsolete.

CryptoQuant founder and CEO Ki Young Ju has shared his thoughts on the changing nature of altcoin season, suggesting that the traditional capital flow cycle leading to altcoin surges has become obsolete.

In a recent post on X (formerly Twitter), Ki compared the old altcoin season cycle to a disappearing rainy season.

“Redefining Altseason. The old altseason capital flow cycle is obsolete. What I meant was that due to climate change, the rainy season has completely disappeared, leaving only a season of occasional drizzles,” Ki explained.

He went on to say that Bitcoin-driven capital rotations no longer function as they once did due to institutional involvement and regulatory changes. Instead, new capital primarily flows into stablecoins or widely accepted altcoins rather than speculative smaller tokens.

Ki's comments come as some have declared an altcoin season amid liquidity struggles. However, Ki's analysis suggests that the era of indiscriminate altcoin surges is over. Instead, he predicts a “selective altseason,” where only a few altcoins will benefit from new market trends.

The CryptoQuant executive cited the potential approval of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) for altcoins, sustainable attention drivers, and revenue-generating projects as three key factors that could drive altcoin performance in 2025.

“most altcoins won’t make it”

He, however, concluded by emphasizing that “most altcoins won’t make it,” marking a stark contrast to previous cycles where nearly all altcoins experienced substantial price increases.

Meanwhile, recent market trends support Ki's assessment of a selective altcoin season. As BeInCrypto reported, altcoins outperformed Bitcoin regarding crypto inflows last week. Citing a CoinShares report, BeInCrypto highlighted Bitcoin’s outflows of $571 million.

The analysis showed that XRP, Solana (SOL), and Ethereum (ETH) were among the top-grossing cryptocurrencies, registering inflows of $38.3 million, $15.4 million, and $7.7 million, respectively. This is largely due to speculation around potential ETF approvals.

However, the broader crypto market did not experience substantial inflows, with total outflows reaching $23 million. This indicates that capital is being selectively allocated to certain altcoins rather than flowing into the market as a whole.

Recently, Ki also addressed the ongoing liquidity struggles in the crypto market, describing the situation as a “PvP fight,” where capital is redistributed among assets rather than new liquidity entering the market.

This aligns with the notion that institutional capital progressively shapes the sector, favoring stability over speculative altcoin booms. With institutional investors exerting greater influence, the days of indiscriminate altcoin surges driven by retail traders may end.