Altcoins Rally as Bitcoin Stalls: Zcash, Pepe, Bittensor, Aster Soar

Altcoins outperform as Bitcoin remains range-bound below $71,000 since February 6. Selective rotation into high-conviction tokens amid five liquidation events wiping over $1B in positions on February 2026. Zcash +24.1%, Pepe +21.9%, Bittensor +19.8%, Aster +18.5% week-to-date. All remain far below ATHs: Zcash -90% from 2016, Pepe -84% (Dec 2024), Bittensor -75% (Mar 2024), Aster -70% (Sep 2025). Prediction market Myriad assigns 9% chance of altseason before April 2026. Sustainability hinges on macro tailwinds, stablecoin inflows, and easing Bitcoin dominance. Key events: U.S. PCE on February 20 and March 18 FOMC (FedWatch: 90% chance rates unchanged; Myriad: 31% chance >25bps cut by July).