Best Altcoins to Buy as Bitcoin Struggles Below $85,000 After Massive Liquidations

The cryptocurrency market is facing intense pressure, with Bitcoin trading near $82,100 after sliding to a local low. A massive $1.6 billion liquidation triggered the move and wiped out overleveraged long positions in the market.

Although the numbers seem heartbreaking, many seasoned analysts view the fall below the $85,000 support level as a classic upset ahead of a potential rebound in February.

For investors looking to take advantage of volatility, three assets stand out as the best altcoins to buy during the current correction.

Bitcoin Slides to $81,000 After $1.68 Billion Liquidation as Bears Take Control

As correlations between assets increased, automated liquidations devastated the crypto market, wiping out $1.68 billion in positions over the past 24 hours in the largest liquidation event of 2026 so far.

Bitcoin absorbed most of the shock, plunging to a new yearly low near $81,000 and reversing almost all of the advance from earlier this month. Forced selling driven by stop losses and margin calls rather than voluntary exits fueled the move and intensified the downward pressure.

On Friday morning, prices attempted a modest rebound, but the action so far indicates near-term stabilization rather than real relief.

Technically, the failure seems serious. Bitcoin confirmed a head-and-shoulders pattern on the daily chart after losing the $86,400 neckline, which accelerated the sell-off as the price fell below the 0.236 Fibonacci retracement and signaled the failure of defending a key support zone.

Momentum indicators reinforce the bearish tone, with the MACD moving decisively into negative territory and expanding red histogram bars signaling strengthening downward pressure, while Bollinger Bands show BTC trading below the mid-band and facing resistance near the lower $83,000 band.

The RSI is hovering around 35, placing Bitcoin close to oversold conditions which may allow a short-term rebound but do not yet confirm a trend reversal. Attention is now focused on the $80,000 level, critical psychological and technical support aligned with the October 2025 correction lows.

If buyers fail to hold this zone, the price could slide towards the $74,000-$78,000 range, while a quick recovery from the $86,400 neckline would invalidate the bearish setup and could trigger a short squeeze towards $92,219.

Top Crypto Picks: Altcoins to Watch as Bitcoin Slides Below $85,000

Bitcoin failed to return above $85,000, lowering market sentiment and increasing pressure on the crypto market. Forced liquidations slowed momentum and led to sharp price swings, prompting investors to look beyond Bitcoin for better upside opportunities.

Similar periods in the past have often allowed certain altcoins to outperform while Bitcoin traded sideways, making this pullback an important time to rethink positioning and spot the best altcoins to buy while Bitcoin remains weak.

According to Cryptonews’ latest analysis and current market data, the following assets top the list of top contenders for a February rally.

Chubby penguins (PENGU)

Pudgy Penguins stands out as one of the few crypto projects to successfully transcend the digital asset space. Rather than relying solely on token speculation, the team has built a global consumer brand that bridges Web3 and traditional retail. Its “phygital” strategy favors large-scale retail distribution.

Pudgy Penguins products, including the viral line of plush toys, now appear in more than 3,100 Walmart stores as well as major retail locations like Target and Walgreens. The retail push has already generated more than $13 million in sales, proving that NFT-backed intellectual property can compete directly with traditional entertainment giants.

Large-scale marketing campaigns further fuel brand expansion and target the general public. Beyond its physical shelf space, Pudgy Penguins reaches billions online, generating over 65 billion views on GIPHY, surpassing brands like Disney and Pokémon in viral relevance.

The team reinforces this cultural mastery through premium partnerships, such as the recently launched Manchester City collection and apparel bundle, which combines elite football culture with exclusive digital and physical utility.

Prepare your Pengu Passport, it’s time to collect your first stamps!

Collect Pengu x Catlumpurr passport stamps by striking commemorative SBTs at Pengu Asia events.

More details below.

– Pudgy Penguins (@pudgypenguins) January 29, 2026

In 2026, Pudgy Penguins is focused on deepening community connections through immersive global experiences. The “Year of the Penguin Asia Tour” begins today, January 31, in Malaysia, with community meetings in Catlumpurr until February 2.

Fans can collect Pengu x Catlumpurr passport stamps by minting commemorative Soulbound Tokens (SBT), linking real-world attendance to on-chain identity.

By combining tangible revenue, digital influence and interactive community events, Pudgy Penguins sets the benchmark for successful meme-based ecosystems and earns its reputation as a premier asset, even during periods of market weakness.

Aerodrome Financing (AERO)

Focusing on the decentralized finance (DeFi) sector, Aerodrome Finance (AERO) is currently making a strategic “bet” on the long-term success of Coinbase’s L2 network.

As the primary liquidity provider to the core ecosystem, Aerodrome serves as a central hub by combining a powerful incentive engine with a vote-locked governance model.

While Base has dominated stablecoin trading volume recently, Aerodrome has faced significant near-term headwinds, with trading volume dropping approximately 27% in the past 24 hours.

As of January 31, 2026, AERO was trading around $0.42, a steep discount from its previous high of around $1.5 billion in market cap.

Despite a roughly 50% decline over the last year, the project remains fundamentally strong, recently integrating a Base-Solana bridge and preparing for the MetaDEX03 upgrade in Q2.

For investors who believe in the future of Base, current price levels represent a very useful entry point into the network’s Base liquidity engine.

Bitcoin Hyper (HYPER)

Even with the recent market downturn, Bitcoin Hyper ($HYPER) remains one of the best crypto presales, raising around $31 million. The project focuses on a key gap in Bitcoin Layer-2 by using the Solana Virtual Machine (SVM) for fast transactions.

It claims to handle 65,000 transactions per second and connect securely to the Bitcoin mainnet via a Zero-Knowledge (ZK) bridge, aiming to transform Bitcoin from a simple store of value into a fast, programmable network.

$HYPER uses a robust staking system to keep funds in the ecosystem. With approximately 38% APY, more than 1.3 billion tokens are already staked, and strict three- to six-month vesting schedules prevent most participants from cashing out quickly.

This setup provides stability by stopping “panic selling,” but it also limits flexibility during market fluctuations.

Interest in $HYPER remains high. Crypto Tech Gaming, a well-known analyst and YouTuber, called it one of the best altcoins of this cycle, highlighting significant investments in “whales” as a sign of serious interest.

At the end of January 2026, the presale price stands at $0.013665, making it very affordable. For investors who believe the market is near a bottom, $HYPER offers a low starting price, solid infrastructure, and a group of committed players ready to support the next upward move.

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