At the close of 2025, optimism for a bullish start to the year is spreading among crypto market investors. According to analyst Aaryamann Shrivastava, there are altcoins with bullish potential in 2026 that could chart their own path independently of Bitcoin. Among the selected ones, Monero, the new Midnight project, and Ethereum stand out, as they present technical setups suggesting explosive growth during the coming weeks of active trading.
Monero remains one of the cryptocurrencies closest to its historical record, trading just 17.5% below its $519 peak. Interest in financial privacy has driven sustained demand for XMR amid growing global regulatory debates. Therefore, capital flow indicators suggest that the asset could overcome the psychological barrier of $500 very soon if the current accumulation trend persists for the remainder of the month.
On the other hand, the market has set its sights on Midnight, a project backed by Charles Hoskinson, founder of Cardano. This asset, identified with the NIGHT ticker, has generated great confidence due to its technological focus on zero-knowledge proofs for private transactions. As a recently launched token, early adoption is expected to drive its valuation toward new all-time highs above the $0.120 mark in January as users join the network.
Growth prospects for the leaders of the privacy and smart contract sectors
Likewise, the success of these movements will largely depend on the stability of current technical support levels. For Midnight, a successful bounce from $0.075 is vital to maintain the bullish structure toward its upper price targets. However, a negative shift in general market sentiment could invalidate these projections and force a prolonged consolidation phase that would affect new investors in the privacy sector significantly.
Could the largest smart contract network regain its glory after a year of underperformance?
Wherefore, Ethereum needs a significant increase in demand to close the 66% gap that separates it from its $4,956 all-time high. Although a miracle rally seems unlikely, a decisive break above the $3,000 level would be the necessary catalyst to start a solid recovery. Consequently, the asset requires constant support from institutional investors to attempt to reach higher resistance levels located near $3,287 during the next cycle.
Finally, Ethereum’s correlation with Bitcoin will continue to be a determining factor for its short-term performance. If the leading cryptocurrency manages to maintain positive momentum, ETH could benefit from capital rotation toward the main altcoins. In this way, the market prepares for a January full of volatility and strategic opportunities for those seeking to capitalize on the movements of the most resilient assets in the current ecosystem.
