Crypto Market Today: Market Cap Holds at $2.86 Trillion as Q4 Opens, With NEAR, Chainlink and Stellar Leading the Week

Last Updated: October 1, 2026

The crypto market opened the fourth quarter with little change. Total market capitalization is $2.86 trillion, up 0.43% over 24 hours, and trading volume rose 23.39% to $103.98 billion, according to CoinMarketCap. Bitcoin trades near $83,462 and Ether near $2,683, both up 0.49%, after a cooler inflation report failed to carry prices through $85,000 on Wednesday. Over the past week the gains sit in altcoins: NEAR Protocol is up 23.92%, Chainlink 15.50% and Stellar 10.88%, while Zcash is down 7.04%.

Key Takeaways

Total market capitalization stands at $2.86 trillion, up 0.43% in 24 hours, with volume up 23.39% to $103.98 billion. Bitcoin dominance is 58.6% and Ethereum dominance 11.5%. CoinMarketCap’s Fear & Greed Index reads 66 out of 100, down from 69 on Tuesday and still in the Greed zone.

The third quarter ended on September 30 with Bitcoin up about 43% from near $58,560 and Ether up about 71%, Rio Times figures show. CoinDesk called it Bitcoin’s strongest quarter since 2024 and Ether’s best since 2021.

Spot Bitcoin ETFs lost $148.69 million on September 30, ending a nine-day inflow streak that had added about $3.1 billion. Ether ETFs lost about $59.6 million and Solana ETFs $11.1 million, so fund demand turned negative on the last day of the quarter.

August PCE inflation came in cooler than expected, with core prices up 3.0% year over year against 3.3% forecast, and Bitcoin touched about $85,600 before rising yields erased the gain. The 10-year Treasury yield ended September near 5.29%, ADP reported 90,000 private-sector jobs added in September, and traders put about a 37% chance on an October Fed hike, according to Rio Times.

NEAR leads the week after Bitwise’s spot NEAR ETF began trading on September 29, followed by Chainlink after its CCIP 2.0 launch and Stellar, which has no single confirmed trigger. September payrolls are due on Friday.

Market Overview

Metric	Value
Total Market Cap	$2.86 trillion (+0.43%)
24h Trading Volume	$103.98 billion (+23.39%)
Bitcoin Dominance	58.6%
Ethereum Dominance	11.5%
Fear & Greed Index	66/100 (Greed)
Ethereum Gas	0.13 Gwei

Coin	Price	24h	7d
Bitcoin (BTC)	$83,461.88	+0.49%	-0.27%
Ethereum (ETH)	$2,682.51	+0.49%	+0.53%
XRP	$1.48	-0.87%	-0.15%
BNB	$765.01	+0.81%	-0.62%
Solana (SOL)	$117.69	-0.21%	+3.15%
Dogecoin (DOGE)	$0.09421	+0.83%	+1.02%
Cardano (ADA)	$0.2459	+0.82%	+3.17%
Chainlink (LINK)	$14.19	-0.27%	+15.50%
Stellar (XLM)	$0.2229	-0.22%	+10.88%
NEAR Protocol	$5.22	+3.09%	+23.92%
Hyperliquid (HYPE)	$88.95	+3.23%	-3.21%
Zcash (ZEC)	$1,407.86	+0.59%	-7.04%

Data sourced from CoinMarketCap, morning of October 1 (UTC). Stablecoins held their pegs, with Tether at $0.9994 and USDC at $0.9999.

Today’s Crypto Market Analysis

Bitcoin is down 0.27% over seven days and Ether up 0.53%, so the market has spent the week consolidating below the September highs rather than extending the quarter’s rally. Volume rose 23.39% to $103.98 billion, a sign of heavier turnover around the quarter turn that does not by itself point in either direction.

Fund flows turned on the last day of September. After nine straight days of Bitcoin ETF inflows, Fidelity’s FBTC lost $125.58 million, BlackRock’s IBIT $9.48 million and Bitwise’s BITB $13.63 million, for a net outflow of $148.69 million, the first in 10 trading days. Bitcoin funds still took in about $2.65 billion over September. Ether funds lost about $59.6 million, according to Farside Investors, and Solana funds $11.1 million, according to SoSoValue.

The August PCE report lifted prices for a few hours. Headline inflation was 3.4% from a year earlier and core inflation 3.0%, the lowest since February, against 3.3% expected for core. Bitcoin jumped to about $85,600 and gave the gain back as the 10-year yield rose to 5.29%, the 30-year topped 5.6% and ADP reported 90,000 new private-sector jobs against forecasts near 70,000. The Federal Reserve raised its target range to 3.75% to 4.00% on September 16.

Leadership is narrow. NEAR trades at $5.22 and is up 3.09% over 24 hours, extending a weekly gain of 23.92%. Bitwise’s spot NEAR ETF began trading on September 29, and the token is up roughly 175% over 30 days from below $2 at the start of September, BeInCrypto Markets data cited by Yahoo Finance show. Chainlink is up 15.50% on the week at $14.19 after launching CCIP 2.0 on September 28, though it slipped 0.27% today, and Stellar’s 10.88% weekly gain has no single confirmed trigger. Hyperliquid’s HYPE gained 3.23% over 24 hours. Zcash is the week’s weak spot at $1,407.86, and Zcash News Today covers the Bitget funds that moved into its shielded pool on Wednesday.

Sentiment cooled slightly. CoinMarketCap’s reading of 66 is still in the Greed zone, but different providers can read the same market differently, as our comparison of two Fear and Greed indexes showed last week.

Why Is the Crypto Market Moving Today?

The market is trading between two signals. Softer inflation lowered rate-hike odds, but long-term Treasury yields stayed near multi-year highs and the dollar posted its highest close since late July, which kept a lid on risk assets. Stablecoins and US market structure also made news: Open USD launched on September 30, and Robinhood said it will offer US crypto perpetual futures, both covered in crypto news today.

For asset-specific coverage, visit Bitcoin News Today, Ethereum News Today, XRP News Today, and Hedera (HBAR) News Today, and see Dogecoin Price Today for the latest on DOGE.

What This Means for the Days Ahead

Weekly jobless claims print today at 8:30 a.m. ET. September nonfarm payrolls follow on Friday, October 2, with forecasts near 90,000 jobs, an unemployment rate of 4.1% and wage growth of about 3.1% year over year, after 162,000 jobs in August. A stronger report would revive rate-hike bets, while a weaker one would lean the other way.

October 2 also brings the last day of SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce and the final stage of Bitget’s withdrawal restart. The next scheduled protocol events are the October 6 testnet activations of Ethereum’s Glamsterdam upgrade and Zcash’s NU7. ETF flow data for October 1, published on Friday, will show whether Wednesday’s outflows were a one-day pause.

Compare Crypto Prices Today

Asset	Price Page
Bitcoin	Bitcoin Price
Ethereum	Ethereum Price
XRP	XRP Price
Solana	Solana Price
BNB	BNB Price
TRON	TRON Price

Where to Buy Crypto

Cryptocurrencies can be bought on major exchanges including Binance, Coinbase, Kraken, KuCoin, Gate.io, OKX, and Bybit. For a look at other platforms accepting crypto, see our crypto casinos guide.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Cryptocurrency markets are volatile; always do your own research before investing.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the total crypto market cap today?

The total crypto market capitalization is about $2.86 trillion on October 1, 2026, up 0.43% over 24 hours, according to CoinMarketCap. Trading volume rose 23.39% to $103.98 billion. Bitcoin accounts for 58.6% of the market and Ethereum for 11.5%. The third quarter ended on September 30 with Bitcoin up about 43% and Ether up about 71%.

Which cryptocurrencies gained the most this week?

Over seven days NEAR Protocol leads with a 23.92% gain to $5.22, after Bitwise’s spot NEAR ETF began trading on September 29. Chainlink is up 15.50%, Stellar 10.88%, Cardano 3.17% and Solana 3.15%. Zcash is down 7.04% over the same period, and Hyperliquid’s HYPE is down 3.21% despite a 3.23% gain over the last 24 hours.

What is the Crypto Fear and Greed Index today?

CoinMarketCap’s Fear & Greed Index reads 66 out of 100 on October 1, in the Greed zone and down from 69 on September 29. Other providers can read the same market differently. On September 25 CoinMarketCap showed Greed at 73 while the CFGI index read Neutral at 55, and the gap came from how each index is built, including which inputs it counts.

What economic data could move crypto this week?

Weekly jobless claims print today at 8:30 a.m. ET. September nonfarm payrolls follow on Friday, October 2, with forecasts near 90,000 jobs and an unemployment rate of 4.1%, after 162,000 jobs in August. Core PCE inflation of 3.0% on September 30 cut the chance of an October Fed hike to about 37%, Rio Times reported, so a strong jobs report could revive hike bets.