Bitcoin dominance, explained
Bitcoin dominance is Bitcoin's share of the total crypto market value. How it is calculated, what rising and falling dominance usually mean, and its blind spots.
See today's Bitcoin dominance →
What it measures
Bitcoin dominance is Bitcoin's market cap divided by the total market cap of all cryptocurrencies, shown as a percentage. If Bitcoin is worth $1.3 trillion and the whole market $2.4 trillion, dominance is about 54%.
Traders often write it as BTC.D. Blockdeck shows it next to the total market cap and updates it throughout the day.
Rising dominance
Dominance rises when Bitcoin gains value faster than the rest of the market, or loses value more slowly. This often happens in nervous markets, when money moves from smaller coins into the largest and most liquid one.
Falling dominance
Dominance falls when other coins grow faster than Bitcoin. Periods when many smaller coins rally strongly are often described as an altcoin season, and they usually show up as a falling dominance figure.
Blind spots
Stablecoins such as USDT and USDC count toward the total market. When people sell coins into stablecoins, the total stays similar but the stablecoin share grows, which can make Bitcoin dominance move for reasons that have nothing to do with Bitcoin itself.
Dominance also says nothing about direction on its own. It can rise while Bitcoin falls, as long as everything else falls faster.