Bitcoin Climbs to $87,000 as XRP and Solana Lead Altcoins
Redakcja CryptoPulsar ·
Bitcoin gains 7.30% and trades at $86,795, with total crypto market cap at $3.03T. XRP jumps 9.07% and Solana 8.46%, while bitcoin ETF holders return to profit as Binance taker volume spikes to $618 million in one hour.
The cryptocurrency market closed the September 21, 2026 session with a broad rally. Bitcoin broke through the $86,000 level and trades at $86,795 after a 7.30% jump in 24 hours, on $59.74 billion in volume. Total crypto market capitalization stands at $3.03 trillion. Among leading altcoins, XRP is up 9.07% and Solana is up 8.46%. Ethereum rises 5.85% to $2,776. Bitcoin Magazine reports that bitcoin ETF holders have returned to profit as the price races toward $87,000. In parallel, Crypto Briefing noted a net spike in Binance taker volume to $618 million in a single hour as Bitcoin crossed $85,000. The Fear and Greed Index sits at 70, in the greed zone, while on-chain data shows intense network and whale activity. This material is based solely on CryptoPulsar data and the sources cited. It does not constitute investment advice.
Top session gainers and losers
Green dominates the top ten projects by market cap. The strongest 24-hour move among large-cap coins is XRP, ahead of Solana and Bitcoin. The only clear decline in this group is Zcash, which is down 2.16% after an earlier weekly rally. Stablecoins remain flat, consistent with their settlement role rather than a speculative one.
| Crypto | Price | 24h | 7d |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bitcoin | $86,795 | +7.30% | +10.10% |
| Ethereum | $2,776 | +5.85% | +9.53% |
| Tether | $0.9998 | +0.01% | 0.00% |
| BNB | $803.66 | +4.93% | +10.92% |
| XRP | $1.53 | +9.07% | +4.72% |
| USDC | $0.9999 | +0.01% | 0.00% |
| Solana | $119.01 | +8.46% | +15.40% |
| TRON | $0.3440 | +0.34% | +1.12% |
| Zcash | $1,453 | -2.16% | +21.72% |
The second table shows market scale, not just percentages. Bitcoin remains the undisputed leader with a $1.74 trillion market cap and rank 1. Ethereum stands at $338.81 billion. Tether, despite no price movement, generates the largest 24-hour volume of any listing: $103.17 billion.
| Crypto | Cap. | Volume | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bitcoin | $1.74T | $59.74B | #1 |
| Ethereum | $338.81B | $27.36B | #2 |
| Tether | $183.35B | $103.17B | #3 |
| BNB | $107.02B | $1.91B | #4 |
| XRP | $96.07B | $5.49B | #5 |
| USDC | $74.69B | $27.50B | #6 |
| Solana | $69.91B | $6.73B | #7 |
| TRON | $32.67B | $0.46B | #8 |
| Zcash | $24.63B | $1.28B | #9 |
Beyond the top ten, category data shows even sharper moves. Among memecoins, Dogecoin gains 15.12% and Shiba Inu 8.98%. Among exchange tokens, Cronos is up 10.92%. In gaming, Pudgy Penguins rises 11.45%. In non-EVM layer 1, Cardano adds 8.78%, and in layer 2 Mantle is up 7.78%. That rounds out a session in which capital is not limited to Bitcoin.
Bitcoin heads toward $87,000
Bitcoin trades at $86,795 and is up 7.30% on the day. The weekly gain is 10.10%. The all-time high from market data is $126,080, so the current price is about 68.8% of that peak. BTC market cap is $1.74 trillion. There are 20087568 BTC in circulation out of a maximum supply of 21000000, or about 95.7% of the cap.
CryptoPulsar market cycle data assigns Bitcoin a score of 34.8 out of 50. In this view, the price oscillates around $86,000, with daily volume on the order of $54 billion. The latest on-chain data shows more than 1.24 million transactions in 24 hours, so the network is being used intensively, not merely priced on exchanges.
The relative strength index (RSI) is around 49 and remains in the neutral zone. MACD has a negative histogram, meaning upside momentum is slowing despite a positive price change. Perpetual futures funding is close to zero, and sentiment in that market is described as neutral. At the same time, the Fear and Greed Index sits at 70, in the greed zone.
The data suggest a cautious reading: a high transaction count may sustain moderate speculative pressure, but if on-chain activity fell amid such greed, a correction would become more likely. That is a scenario implied by the indicators, not a forecast of a specific move.
💡 Good to know
Bitcoin Magazine reported on September 21, 2026 that bitcoin ETF holders had returned to profit as the price raced toward $87,000. The same day, Crypto Briefing noted a net spike in Binance taker volume to $618 million in a single hour as Bitcoin crossed $85,000. The piece highlighted Binance's dominant influence on global trading and the potential for higher volatility.
A second macro backdrop from the same session is the behavior of traditional markets. Crypto Briefing reports that the NASDAQ closed at a record high and the S&P 500 was approaching a milestone, with technology stocks advancing. A parallel piece from the same outlet contrasts the drop in natural diamond prices to their lowest levels this century with Bitcoin's rally. That is narrative context, not a mechanical cause of today's plus 7.30% on BTC.
Bitcoin volume in CryptoPulsar price data is $59.74 billion. That is the second-highest reading after Tether, but the highest among volatile assets. Such liquidity means the 7.30% move did not happen on a thin market. At the same time, the negative MACD histogram from the market cycle data is a reminder that the pace of gains can slow even when the daily candle is green.
XRP and Solana lead the altcoin wave
It was non-EVM layer-1 altcoins that gave the session its character. In that category the top movers are XRP up 9.07%, Solana up 8.46% and Cardano up 8.78%. XRP trades at $1.53 with a $96.07 billion market cap and rank 5. Daily volume is $5.49 billion. The all-time high from the data is $3.65. Circulating supply is 62879209849 XRP out of a maximum supply of 100000000000.
XRP's score in the market cycle is 35.2 out of 50. In that description the token costs about $1.50 after a 7.6% gain over 24 hours.