On the surface, the crypto market barely moved in the first half of 2025.

Despite all the tantrum about tariffs, impending recession, war, and heightened expectations of crypto friendly policies and a digital asset strategic reserve with Donald Trump’s return to the White House, the total market capitalization of cryptocurrencies, measured by TradingView, inched up a measly 3% to $3.27 trillion over the past six months.

Looking closer, the performance was starkly uneven, with bitcoin

holding up the rest of the market.

BTC climbed 13% in the first six months of 2025, continuing to outshine the broader market. Meanwhile, Ethereum’s ether

, the second-largest crypto asset, tumbled 25%, and Solana shed nearly 17%.

Smaller and riskier tokens…