2026 has been brutal for altcoins. $Bitcoin has clawed its way back from a 21 month low near $58,000 in late June to roughly $80,000, but most of the market never got the memo. Bitcoin dominance is sitting around 60%, and CoinMarketCap's Altcoin Season Index closed at 34 points in early September, well below the 75 that would confirm a real altcoin season.