The cryptocurrency market has changed a lot recently, making it harder for individual altcoins to increase in value. Every day, many new altcoins are created, which spreads the available money and attention across more coins. Because of this, the liquidity (or the amount of money available for trading) is divided among many different coins. This makes it tough for any one altcoin to get enough investment to see a significant price increase.
Low-market-cap altcoins can quickly rise in value due to hype and speculative trading, but this often doesn't last long. Stronger projects with larger market caps usually grow more slowly because they need more consistent and substantial investment to see price increases. Quick pumps are less common with these stronger projects because their higher market cap makes sudden price spikes more difficult.
Futures trading also affects altcoin prices significantly. When many traders bet on the market going up or down, trading platforms may force liquidations to manage risks, causing big price swings. This leads to long periods where the price stays steady or only moves slightly, as the market adjusts. These reaccumulation phases can make it seem like altcoins aren't increasing in value, as the market takes time to stabilize before any significant growth can happen.