While Bitcoin dominated headlines with its relentless march toward $8,300 on November 22, 2017, the altcoin market was telling a far more dramatic story. A sweeping rally across alternative cryptocurrencies — with Dash gaining 16.6%, Monero surging 17.3%, and Bitcoin Cash climbing 10.3% in a single day — masked growing unease following the theft of $31 million from Tether’s treasury wallet just days earlier.
TL;DR
- Bitcoin held steady at $8,253 on November 22, up 2.12% over 24 hours despite the Tether hack fallout
- Altcoins stole the show: Dash (+16.6%), Monero (+17.3%), Bitcoin Cash (+10.3%), and Augur REP (+14.1%) all posted double-digit gains
- Tether lost $30,950,010 USDT from its treasury wallet on November 19, triggering exchange freezes and market panic
- Ethereum traded at $380 despite persistent wallet security vulnerabilities
- Kraken recorded $152 million in total trading volume across all markets
Privacy Coins Lead the Charge
November 22 belonged to privacy-focused cryptocurrencies. Monero (XMR) reached an all-time high of $163.65, posting a remarkable 17.3% gain as investors gravitated toward coins offering transaction anonymity — a pointed response to the transparency that made Tether’s stolen tokens traceable but not recoverable.
Dash followed a similar trajectory, surging 16.6% to hit $584 and setting its own all-time high on Kraken. TheDash rally was fueled by growing adoption in Venezuela and other markets experiencing currency instability, alongside broader interest in alternative payment networks.
Bitcoin Cash Continues Contentious Rise
Bitcoin Cash (BCH), the August 2017 hard fork of Bitcoin that had divided the community, added another 10.3% to reach $1,321.18. The fork’s proponents pointed to larger block sizes and faster transactions as evidence of its superiority, while Bitcoin maximalists remained skeptical. Regardless of which camp proved right, BCH’s $29 million in daily volume on Kraken alone demonstrated substantial market interest.
The BCH rally occurred against a backdrop of intensifying debate about Bitcoin’s scaling limitations. With transaction fees climbing and confirmation times lengthening on the Bitcoin network, users were actively exploring alternatives — a trend that benefited BCH and other altcoins alike.
Ethereum’s Security Woes Persist
Ethereum traded at $380.65 according to CoinMarketCap data, with $369.30 recorded on Kraken — a modest 1.14% gain that belied deeper concerns. The platform’s wallet infrastructure had been under sustained attack, prompting projects like Jibrel Network to build their own wallet solutions rather than rely on existing Ethereum-based options.
TechCrunch reported on November 22 that Jibrel Network, a startup aiming to put traditional financial assets like currencies and bonds on the blockchain with regulatory compliance, had decided to construct its own wallet infrastructure from scratch. The move highlighted a fundamental tension in the Ethereum ecosystem: the platform’s programmability was its greatest strength, but its wallet security remained a persistent vulnerability.
The Dogecoin Surprise
Perhaps the most unexpected performer of the day was Dogecoin, the meme-inspired cryptocurrency that somehow managed a 17.4% gain, trading at $0.0016 with $177,480 in volume on Kraken. What began as a joke in 2013 was evolving into a legitimate — if lighthearted — player in the altcoin ecosystem, with an active community and genuine transaction volume.
Market Structure and Volume
Kraken’s daily report showed $152 million traded across all markets, with Bitcoin leading at $61.5 million in volume. The exchange supported trading in EUR, USD, JPY, CAD, and GBP — a reflection of cryptocurrency’s increasingly global reach. EOS was the only major coin in negative territory, dropping 4.12% to $1.86 amid concerns about its ongoing token distribution.
Why This Matters
The November 22 altcoin rally revealed an important truth about the late-2017 crypto market: capital was flowing well beyond Bitcoin. While BTC held an 8.2% gain for the week, altcoins were posting significantly larger moves, suggesting that speculative appetite had broadened dramatically. The privacy coin surge, in particular, signaled that investors were beginning to differentiate between cryptocurrencies based on technical features rather than simply chasing the largest market cap.
At the same time, the Tether hack — coming just days after an Ethereum wallet vulnerability froze $150 million in Ether — underscored that infrastructure risk remained the ecosystem’s Achilles heel. The altcoin market was booming, but it was booming on a foundation that was still very much under construction.
Disclaimer: This article was written for informational purposes and reflects market conditions as of November 22, 2017. It does not constitute financial advice. Cryptocurrency investments carry significant risk, and past performance does not guarantee future results.
monero 17.3% and dash 16.6% the day after the tether hack. privacy coins were the obvious flight to safety
tether losing $31M and btc barely dipping. the market was so euphoric in nov 2017 nothing could shake it
btc cash at $1,321 arguing bigger blocks made it better. wonder how that worked out
^ BCH market cap was $22B at that point. now its a fraction. bigger blocks was never the answer