The crypto bear market appears to be taking shape. Bitcoin and Ethereum remain under pressure, with Bitcoin down about 24% year-to-date and 22% year-over-year, while Ethereum is down about 34% year-to-date and over 30% over the same period. The overall market continues to reflect weakness.
However, BeInCrypto analysts have identified three altcoins that are still seeing strong year-to-date and year-over-year gains, suggesting demand and technology structures that appear to be disconnected from the ongoing bear market.
Bitcoin Cash (BCH)
Even in the virtual currency bear market, the extraordinary strength of Bitcoin Cash (BCH) does not stop. While many altcoins are struggling, BCH remains one of the strongest altcoins, making big gains every year. Bitcoin Cash is still up nearly 80% year-over-year, showing that demand remains strong despite the broader crypto bear market.
This strength is now clearly visible in whale behavior. The largest Bitcoin Cash holders have between 100,000 and 1 million BCH in their wallets, with their holdings increasing from 4.31 million BCH on February 16 to 4.36 million BCH in recent days.
This means that the whale added 50,000 BCH, which is equivalent to about $28.5 million at current prices. Whale accumulation in a crypto bear market often signals confidence, as these investors typically buy in anticipation of higher prices ahead.
This optimism is directly tied to Bitcoin Cash’s price chart. BCH is currently forming an inverted head-and-shoulders pattern, which often precedes a breakout.
This pattern indicates that selling pressure is easing and buyers are gradually starting to take control. BCH attempted a breakout near $575 but faced some selling pressure. However, continued whale purchases suggest that this resistance may weaken over time.
The daily closing price must be above $575 for the breakout to be confirmed. If this happens, BCH could rise towards $793 and even $800, potentially hitting the pattern’s nearly 40% upside target. These levels also coincide with Fibonacci resistance zones, reinforcing the bullish case.
However, risks still exist. If BCH dips below $538, the bullish structure will weaken as the buyers will lose control. A complete invalidation will only occur if the BCH price drops below $422, causing the entire pattern to break down.
For now, Bitcoin Cash stands out as one of the rare altcoins to buck the bear market, supported by both whale accumulation and bullish technical structure.
Morpho (MORPHO)
Among bear market-fighting altcoins, Morpho stands out due to its strong fundamentals and bullish price structure.
Morpho is a governance token for a decentralized lending platform that allows users to lend and borrow cryptocurrencies more efficiently. Its infrastructure, called Morpho Blue, improves capital efficiency by directly matching lenders and borrowers, delivering better yields and lower borrowing costs.
This strong foundation is now attracting the attention of organizations. On February 13, 2026, Apollo Global Management, which manages approximately $940 billion in assets, committed to acquire up to 90 million MORPHO tokens on a long-term basis, representing approximately 9% of the total supply. This created steady buying pressure and demonstrated Morpho’s role in institutional decentralized finance.
This underlying optimism is also reflected in the price chart. Since February 6th, Morpho has already risen over 72%, forming the pole of a classic bullish continuation pattern called the pole and flag.
The current drop could form a flag, which is a normal pause before another possible rise.
At the same time, a golden crossover is also approaching. This occurs when the 50-period exponential moving average (EMA), which tracks medium-term price trends, exceeds the 200-period EMA, which tracks long-term trends. This signal often confirms the start of a sustained uptrend.
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For now, Morpho remains strong as long as the consolidation range remains above $1.48. However, the structure weakens once it falls below the 200-period EMA at $1.34.
However, a confirmation above $1.63 could trigger another 72% rally towards $2.85, potentially strengthening Morpho’s position among altcoins bucking the crypto bear market.
Decred (DCR)
Following Bitcoin Cash and Morpho, Decred has quietly emerged as another altcoin showing unusual strength. The token is up 93% year-over-year and 61% year-to-date, making it the best performer among this group of powerful altcoins. Decred is still up nearly 10% in the past 24 hours, highlighting strong demand.
Part of this strength is due to recent Treasury upgrades, which have improved the way the network funds its own growth and strengthened long-term investor confidence.
However, the chart structure explains why this strength is not over yet.
Decred is currently trading within an ascending channel. This is a bullish structure where price moves between two parallel uptrend lines.
This pattern typically shows steady accumulation and controlled upward momentum. At the same time, a cup pattern is forming within this channel, which looks like two bullish patterns folding into one structure.
This dual structure greatly enhances the outlook. Based on channel and cup forecasts, Decred could rise nearly 37%. One of the primary targets is near $39.76, but if momentum continues, an extended target is aligned around $45.33.
In the short term, the structure remains healthy as long as Decred remains above $23.66. This level acts as the bottom support within the channel.
A breakout above $28.79 would indicate increasing strength and increase the likelihood of a breakout towards $32.98. This is a key zone that coincides with the upper trend line of the channel. A breakout of this level will likely lead to a larger upside prediction.
However, below $22.01, the pattern will weaken and the structure will shift from bullish to neutral. For now, Decred’s unusual combination of strong performance and multi-layered bullish chart setup shows why it continues to stand out among the struggles of most altcoins.
