Sideways Bitcoin price allows DeFi, Ethereum, and altcoins to rally higher

For the past two days, Bitcoin price has traded within the $14,800 to $15,500 range but the top-digital asset struggled to flip $15,500 to support.

A positive is BTC continues to make higher lows and at the time of writing the price is trying to break from the range but still encountering resistance at $15,500.

While BTC price has bounced back and forth, altcoins and select DeFi tokens capitalized on the consolidation phase and turned bullish.

As Messari pointed out earlier today in a tweet, DeFi tokens like Yearn Finance, AAVE, Balancer, and UNI are all up by double digits.

Most notably, YFI has gained roughly 160% after bottoming at $7,444 on Nov. 5 and in the past two days, AAVE went on an absolute tear as the token rallied 175% from $25.87 to $70.91.

Aside from these tokens, a handful of smaller cap tokens on decentralized exchanges are also racking up gains, and data from Dune Analytics signals that investors are beginning to become more active in the DeFi space again.

As DEX volumes increase so do the number of daily active users and today the sector reached a new record as DeFi Pulse noted that the total value locked in DEX platforms surged to $12.87 billion.

Historically, altcoins tend to rally when Bitcoin price is sideways and Ether's strengthening fundamentals could be a sign that DeFi and altcoins may be on the verge of a trend change.

For the short-term, traders will be watching to see if BTC can turn the $15,500 to $16,000 level to support at this is likely to pull a few bullish altcoins higher.

If BTC price remains sideways over the coming days, there could be a continued advance from the top DeFi tokens and a handful of altcoins.