Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP Retreat but September Could Hold a Surprise, Data Shows

August transformed crypto’s low-volatility environment into a sharp breakout for Bitcoin(CRYPTO: BTC) and Ethereum(CRYPTO: ETH), but September has started with the market searching for its next catalyst.

Is SOL’s Good News Already Priced In?

Bitcoin and Ethereum pulled back below $80,000 and $2,500, respectively, signaling consolidation after recent gains.

Institutional demand remained strong, with Bitcoin funds topping $3 billion in August inflows and Solana(CRYPTO: SOL) products posting their strongest month of 2026.

Santiment data on Friday showed that SOL emerged as the week’s standout anomaly after its social trend signal fired four times. This makes it the only cryptocurrency to trigger the metric during the period.

However, attention peaked after price did.

SOL hit a 2026 high of $110.38 on Aug. 27 before falling about 10% to $98.35 by Sept. 2. Trading volume also cooled sharply from $7.16 billion to as low as $2.05 billion.

In August, SOL gained about 46% snapping a nine-month losing streak as its first binding governance vote passed, 300-millisecond slot times launched and DEX volume hit $7.94 billion.

With those catalysts now priced in, SOL could consolidate or fall further without broader support from Bitcoin and Ethereum.

ETH Whales Retreat, XRP Dormant Supply Moves

Ethereum whale selling slowed sharply, with just 2,040 ETH worth about $5 million sold during the period marking it the lowest in five weeks.

Exchange balances also fell by a net 166,000 ETH, potentially easing near-term selling pressure.

XRP(CRYPTO: XRP) showed the opposite trend. About 4.9% of its supply moved after sitting dormant for an average of 542 days, triggering the signal for the second time in three weeks.

XRP fell 6.4% during the period, with repeated dormant supply movements raising the risk of further distribution.

About 1% of Shiba Inu’s(CRYPTO: SHIB) supply moved on Aug. 27 after sitting dormant for an average of 865 days, the oldest coins among the assets triggering the signal.

The move coincided with the broader market peak. SHIB has since fallen about 4.8%.

Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

To add Benzinga News as your preferred

Source: www.benzinga.com