In a nutshell: The crypto market this week (Monday, September 21 to Sunday, September 27, 2026) was mostly green. Bitcoin rose about 4% after briefly topping $87,000, US spot Bitcoin ETFs pulled in roughly $2.4 billion, and several altcoins, including Chainlink, Cardano, Dogecoin and Solana, gained around 10% or more. Rising US bond yields cooled the rally midweek, and prices dipped again early Monday, September 28.
Last updated: September 28, 2026, about 3:30 PM PKT (10:30 UTC). Weekly price changes use Binance daily closes (00:00 UTC) for USDT pairs from September 20 to September 27, 2026. Figures will differ slightly on other exchanges.
Welcome to our weekly recap of the crypto market this week. Each edition sticks to verified numbers with clear dates, explains what moved prices, and highlights what’s coming up, without price predictions or hype.
Table of contents
Crypto Market This Week: Price Snapshot
Here is how major coins moved in the crypto market this week. All prices below are Binance USDT-pair daily closes. “Week change” compares the September 27 close with the September 20 close.
| Coin | Close Sept 20 | Close Sept 27 | Week change | Week high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bitcoin (BTC) | $81,178 | $84,472 | +4.1% | $87,396 (Sept 21) |
| Ether (ETH) | $2,645 | $2,689 | +1.6% | $2,807 (Sept 21) |
| Solana (SOL) | $111.17 | $121.99 | +9.7% | $124.95 (Sept 27) |
| XRP | $1.411 | $1.517 | +7.5% | $1.658 (Sept 23) |
| BNB | $772.56 | $778.90 | +0.8% | $807.49 |
Monday update: By about 10:30 UTC on September 28, bitcoin had slipped to roughly $82,800 (an intraday low of $82,598), with ETH near $2,650 and SOL near $118. Coinpaprika put the total crypto market value at about $2.97 trillion at that time, with bitcoin making up roughly 55.9% of it.
Bitcoin This Week: A Strong Monday, Then a Pullback
Almost all of bitcoin’s weekly gain came on Monday, September 21, when it jumped from about $81,200 to close near $86,600 and briefly traded above $87,000 for the first time since January, according to Bitcoin.com and CryptoTicker. BeInCrypto reported that about $262 million in short (bearish) bets were forcibly closed within an hour during the move, which added fuel to the rally.
The rally stalled on Wednesday, September 23. Bitcoin fell from above $87,000 to below $84,000 and then spent the rest of the week in a tight range between roughly $83,000 and $85,000.
For context, bitcoin is still far below its record of about $126,000 from October 2025, but well above its June 2026 low under $58,000. Wondering how bitcoin’s four-year supply cycle fits into this? See our bitcoin halving explainer.
Crypto Market This Week: ETF Flows Hit a Near-Year High
- Bitcoin ETFs: US spot Bitcoin ETFs took in about $2.4 billion in net inflows for the trading week ending Friday, September 25, according to The Block’s analysis of SoSoValue data. That was their biggest week since the week ending October 10, 2025, and it flipped their 2026 year-to-date flows back to positive.
- Slowing pace: Daily inflows peaked at about $999 million on Monday and shrank each day to about $134 million on Friday, per SoSoValue data cited by BeInCrypto. Money kept coming in, but at a slower rate.
- Ether ETFs: Spot Ether ETFs added about $690 million over the same week, reversing the prior week’s roughly $140 million outflow.
- Solana funds: The Block reported a record daily inflow of $86.7 million into Solana funds on Friday.
New to these funds? Our guide to Bitcoin ETFs explains how they work.
Macro: Bond Yields Took the Wheel
The crypto market this week was a reminder that crypto doesn’t trade in a vacuum. On September 23, S&P Global’s business survey showed the fastest US growth since July 2021, and the 10-year US Treasury yield rose above 5%, according to BeInCrypto. Higher yields make safe government bonds more attractive, which can pull money away from riskier assets like crypto. Bitcoin dropped below $84,000 within an hour of that data.
Crypto Market This Week: 5 Best and Worst Moves
Here are the standout moves in the crypto market this week among the large-cap coins we tracked (Binance daily closes, September 20 to 27):
- Chainlink (LINK): +12.0%, from $12.52 to $14.02.
- Cardano (ADA): +11.9%, from $0.228 to $0.255.
- Dogecoin (DOGE): +11.0%, from $0.0873 to $0.0969.
- Avalanche (AVAX): −3.6%, from $11.31 to $10.91, one of the few large coins that fell.
- Tron (TRX): −2.7%, from $0.343 to $0.333.
Solana (+9.7%) and XRP (+7.5%) also outperformed bitcoin. XRP followers can find more context in our XRP price prediction. Remember that one-week moves in smaller coins can reverse just as quickly.
Crypto Market This Week: Sentiment and Big Picture
- Fear & Greed Index: The Alternative.me Crypto Fear & Greed Index read 70 (“Greed”) on September 21, touched 78 (“Extreme Greed”) on September 22 and stood at 74 (“Greed”) on September 28.
- Bitcoin dominance: About 55.9% of total crypto market value on September 28, per Coinpaprika.
- Exchange outflows: CryptoQuant data cited by BeInCrypto showed about $2.52 billion in net BTC leaving major exchanges from September 22 to 24. Coins moving off exchanges are often, though not always, headed to long-term storage.
Sentiment in the crypto market this week stayed firmly positive. High “greed” readings are not a sell signal by themselves, but they suggest traders are feeling confident, which can make markets more sensitive to bad news.
Key Takeaways From the Crypto Market This Week
- Big institutional demand, but fading momentum. ETF inflows were the largest in nearly a year, yet they shrank every day from Monday to Friday.
- Macro still matters. A single strong US data release and a jump in bond yields was enough to end the rally.
- Altcoins outperformed. Several large altcoins beat bitcoin, which often happens when traders feel more confident. It can also mean bigger swings in both directions.
- Nothing is settled. Monday, September 28 opened with a dip, showing how quickly gains can be given back.
If you’re newer to crypto, weekly moves like these are normal. A long-term plan, sensible position sizes and good record-keeping matter more than any single week.
Network News: Solana and Ethereum
- Solana Alpenglow: Solana’s major consensus upgrade, which targets transaction finality of around 150 milliseconds, went live on testnet on September 24 and on devnet on September 25, according to CoinDesk. No mainnet date has been announced. Compare the two networks in our Solana vs Ethereum guide.
- Ethereum Glamsterdam: ethereum.org lists a Sepolia testnet fork on October 6, 2026, with mainnet targeted for Q4 2026 and no confirmed date. Learn the basics in what is Ethereum.
- US crypto tax bill: In the prior week, on September 16, the House Ways and Means Committee advanced H.R. 10357, the Digital Asset Tax Certainty Act. It is not law. Our crypto taxes guide explains the current rules.
After the Crypto Market This Week: What to Watch Next
- Quarter-end and October open: September 30 marks the end of Q3, which can bring portfolio rebalancing.
- US bond yields and economic data: After this week, yields are the main macro risk to watch.
- ETF flows: Whether inflows keep slowing or pick up again.
- Key levels traders are watching: Around $83,000 to $84,000 on the downside and the weekly high near $87,400 on the upside, per Bitcoin.com’s technical analysis. These are reference points, not predictions.
- Ethereum’s Glamsterdam Sepolia test on October 6.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did the crypto market go up this week?
In the crypto market this week, a sharp Monday rally, forced closing of bearish bets and about $2.4 billion in Bitcoin ETF inflows pushed prices higher. Rising US bond yields then cooled the move from Wednesday.
What was bitcoin’s high this week?
About $87,396 on Binance on September 21, 2026. Other exchanges showed similar highs around $87,400.
Which coins did best this week?
Among the large-cap coins we tracked, Chainlink, Cardano and Dogecoin each gained about 11–12%, while Solana rose almost 10%.
Is now a good time to buy crypto?
We can’t tell you that, and nobody can reliably time the market. Consider your goals, time horizon and risk tolerance, and never invest more than you can afford to lose.
Where do these numbers come from?
Weekly prices use Binance daily closing prices. Market value and dominance come from Coinpaprika, sentiment from Alternative.me, and ETF flows from SoSoValue data as reported by The Block and BeInCrypto. See the Sources list below.
Sources
- Binance: Spot market data (daily klines, Sept. 20–28, 2026)
- Coinpaprika: Global market data (Sept. 28, 2026, 10:21 UTC)
- Alternative.me: Crypto Fear & Greed Index
- The Block: Bitcoin ETFs turn positive for 2026 with $2.4 billion weekly inflow (Sept. 26, 2026)
- BeInCrypto: Bitcoin ETFs pull in $2.39 billion (Sept. 2026)
- Bitcoin.com News: Bitcoin price climbs back toward $85K (Sept. 27, 2026)
- CryptoTicker: Crypto prices today (Sept. 27, 2026)
- CoinDesk: Solana’s Alpenglow reaches second public test network (Sept. 26, 2026)
- ethereum.org: Glamsterdam
Disclaimer: This weekly recap is for educational and informational purposes only and is not financial or investment advice. Prices are from the sources and times noted and may differ across exchanges. Crypto assets are highly volatile and you can lose money. Do your own research and consider speaking with a licensed financial professional before investing.
