According to CoinDesk, after the Federal Reserve decided to cut interest rates on Wednesday, altcoins outperformed Bitcoin. Since the announcement, cryptocurrencies excluding Ethereum and Bitcoin have risen by 5.7%, while Bitcoin has risen by 4.4%.

Experts point out that this divergence is not uncommon due to the lower liquidity and high beta values of altcoins. Bob Wallden, head of trading at investment firm Abra, explained that altcoins have a higher beta value than Bitcoin and Ethereum, making them a leveraged play on the broader crypto market. This is similar to how tech stocks outperform the S&P 500 during market growth.

Total3, an index tracking the market cap of the top 125 cryptocurrencies excluding Bitcoin and Ethereum, has risen by 5.68% since the Federal Reserve announced a 50 basis point cut in the federal funds rate. In contrast, Bitcoin's market cap has only risen by 4.4%.

This asset class, which includes all crypto assets except Bitcoin and Ethereum, may also benefit from the recent oversold period. Wallden noted that this overselling is adding speed to its rebound. Bohan Jiang, head of OTC options trading at Abra, added that the relatively low liquidity levels of altcoins mean they tend to exhibit greater volatility. He explained that altcoins are at the edge of the liquidity spectrum, and when risk assets perform well and liquidity is abundant, they always exhibit convexity, which seems to be the case after the FOMC meeting.

Jiang also mentioned that the performance of altcoins depends on liquidity and positioning. The liquidity of altcoins is quite poor, leading to excessive volatility in both directions. Long-term short positions over the past few months may have led to an outstanding performance similar to a short squeeze.

After the Federal Reserve decided to cut interest rates, Bitcoin surged above $64,000 on Thursday, the highest price since August 26. It then adjusted and is currently trading at $62,898.

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