People talk about Altcoin Season every day, yet many traders are still deep in drawdown while Bitcoin keeps printing new highs. The reason is simple: most are tracking the wrong thing. Instead of staring at individual altcoin charts, you should be watching TOTAL3 — the true indicator of when real altcoin money enters the market.

What is TOTAL3?

TOTAL3 = Total Crypto Market Cap − (Bitcoin + Ethereum market caps)

In simple terms, TOTAL3 shows the performance of everything except BTC and ETH. This includes mid-caps, low-caps, and memecoins — the part of the market where speculative money moves the fastest and hardest.

Why exclude Ethereum?

In most cycles, ETH behaves very similarly to Bitcoin. It often rallies alongside BTC and doesn’t always reflect true altcoin strength. Real altcoin season begins only when capital rotates away from BTC and ETH and into the rest of the market — that’s when you see the famous 10x–100x runs.

Altcoin Season Follows a Structure (Not Random Hype)

Altseason unfolds in clear technical phases on the TOTAL3 chart:

1️⃣ Accumulation Phase

TOTAL3 moves sideways below major resistance.

Bitcoin usually rallies strongly here, pulling liquidity out of altcoins.

BTC dominance rises, and altcoins feel “dead.”

2️⃣ Breakout Phase

TOTAL3 breaks a long-term downtrend line or a key resistance zone.

This is the first real signal that altcoins are waking up.

3️⃣ Retest Phase (Best Opportunity)

TOTAL3 pulls back to retest the breakout area.

This is the highest-probability entry zone before momentum expands.

4️⃣ Parabolic Phase

TOTAL3 starts printing strong, consecutive green candles.

This is the phase where social media turns bullish, retail rushes in, and massive gains appear everywhere.

Key Rule Most Traders Ignore

🚫 Don’t buy altcoins just because Bitcoin is pumping.

  • If BTC is pumping but TOTAL3 is flat → Bitcoin Season

  • If BTC is ranging but TOTAL3 is exploding → Altcoin Season


Final Advice

Patience is the edge.

Wait for TOTAL3 confirmation before committing serious capital into altcoins. Let the chart guide you — not hype, not news.

👉 Open the TOTAL3 weekly chart and ask yourself:

Which phase are we currently in?

News is information, not a signal. Always confirm with structure before making decisions.