Altcoin Season Is Back: SHIB and Small Caps Signal Major Bull Run

There's one pattern that's called every major crypto bull run: when altcoins outside the top 10 suddenly explode higher. It happened in 2017. It happened in 2021. And right now in 2025, the exact same thing is happening again. The charts don't lie - we're seeing the early signs of what could be the biggest altcoin season yet.

The Numbers Don't Lie

Looking at altcoin market cap (excluding Bitcoin and the top 10), the pattern is crystal clear:

• 2017 saw explosive gains as retail investors discovered crypto for the first time
• 2021 brought another massive surge driven by DeFi, NFTs, and meme coins like SHIB and DOGE
• 2025 is showing the exact same trajectory, with the market cap ratio jumping from 0.15 to above 0.50 in the steepest climb since the last cycle

Why This Time Feels Different

Shiba Inu isn't just riding hype anymore. The ecosystem has real utility now with Shibarium, DeFi integrations, and ongoing token burns creating actual demand. Meanwhile, we're seeing the classic liquidity rotation that happens when Bitcoin dominance peaks and money flows into smaller coins. Add in the macro backdrop of falling inflation and potential Fed rate cuts, and you've got the perfect storm for risk assets like crypto.

If history repeats, altcoin dominance could easily double from here. SHIB looks positioned to be one of the biggest winners, along with other small caps that have been building during the bear market. The only real risk is a Bitcoin crash, but even then, altcoins typically bounce back stronger during full bull cycles.