Altcoins Lag as Market Remains Skeptical of U.S. Crypto Reserve Plans
The market appears to be assigning minimal significance to altcoins ahead of Friday’s highly anticipated White House crypto summit.
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick has reportedly confirmed that President Donald Trump will outline a major shift in crypto policy, including the introduction of a strategic crypto reserve. While bitcoin (BTC) is expected to take center stage, Lutnick noted that other cryptocurrencies would also be acknowledged.
However, market sentiment suggests that traders remain unconvinced about the role of altcoins in this initiative. XRP, Solana (SOL), and Cardano (ADA)—which Trump previously mentioned as part of the reserve—have underperformed compared to BTC.
Bitcoin has climbed to $91,000, now just 4.5% below its Sunday peak of $95,000, which was triggered by Trump’s initial announcement. In contrast, XRP is trading at $2.57, still 17% below its Sunday high of $3.02. Meanwhile, ADA and SOL remain down 27% and 20% from their respective highs, according to TradingView data.
The disparity in price action suggests that investors may not be convinced that these altcoins will receive meaningful inclusion in the strategic reserve. Some analysts speculate that Trump’s initial mention of these assets may have been a strategic move to generate broader industry support while primarily securing BTC’s status.
Meanwhile, skepticism remains about whether a Bitcoin-only reserve could be implemented anytime soon.
“These two things—the U.S. wanting a Bitcoin Strategic Reserve (BSR) while the IMF actively blocks sovereign BTC accumulation—cannot be true at the same time,” said Jeff Park, head of alpha strategies at Bitwise Asset Management, in a post on X.
Park argued that while domestic political discourse on a BSR is a step forward, the real signal to watch is how the International Monetary Fund (IMF) responds. “When that changes, you’ll know readiness is near. This is a long-term catalyst. Until then, everything else is noise,” he added.
For now, the market appears to be tempering its expectations on the impact of the strategic reserve, particularly for altcoins.
