On January 3rd, the crypto market saw a slight rebound, and the rhythm of Alpha rotation has been getting faster in recent days. Although the overall market is still fluctuating within the BTC $88k-90k range and there are no significant waves, the underlying capital flow is quite interesting—liquidity is darting rapidly between low-market-cap projects.

The market focus shifted from yesterday’s AI+ platform narrative to privacy tracks, Meme ecosystems, and emerging infrastructure. Some in the community are already shouting "2026 altseason has started early," which sounds a bit exaggerated, but looking at the three breakout hits today makes it clear that this rotation is serious.

First, let’s look at privacy coins. $ZEC, which is Zcash, danced with gains between +15% and +25% today, with some DEX figures even more exaggerated. The privacy coin narrative has suddenly revived, with many believing it’s due to new expectations that institutional funds will start paying attention to on-chain privacy in 2026. Old projects like Zcash are reignited, trading volume surges, and this has created today’s most stable defensive counterattack Alpha. Some KOLs even said, "Privacy equals the next RWA-level narrative in 2026," which could attract many to bet on it, but who knows how many will actually follow through.

The Meme sector is even more lively. $PEPE continues its celebration, maintaining yesterday’s momentum with another big green candle today, with gains over +20%. The entire Meme sector is also bouncing back, driven by FOMO pushing the community forward. Some say, "PEPE doesn’t die, the bull market won’t end," a popular sentiment in Meme communities. The festive atmosphere combined with viral spread has created today’s breakout star.

Finally, let’s talk about $LIGHT (Bitlight), this dark horse in infrastructure. It surged briefly before pulling back, but currently remains around +30%. The project’s name sounds very ordinary, but its trading volume is astonishingly explosive. There have been voices mentioning it yesterday, and today it continues to be stimulated by capital games and ecosystem news. The community has already started circulating the idea of "the next Solana-level infrastructure."

Honestly, in this kind of volatile market, it’s the real Alpha hunting ground. When the main market is stagnant, opportunities in small-cap coins are increasing.

Which one did you catch today? Did you continue with PEPE for survival or shift to the privacy narrative? Share your results in the comments—let’s keep pushing towards 2026!