Do coins actually move together?

"Diversify within crypto" only works if the coins don't all move as one. Here's the actual answer, recomputed every day from our AUD price records: how correlated the majors are over the past 90 days, and which coins move calmly versus wildly.

Right now, the major altcoins' average correlation with Bitcoin is 65%. The most joined-at-the-hip pair is BTC & ETH (90%); the most independent is ZEC & XMR (12%). The higher these numbers, the less work "diversification" inside crypto is actually doing.

90-day correlation of daily moves — top 12 coins (×100)

	BTC	ETH	BNB	XRP	SOL	TRX	ZEC	HYPE	DOGE	XMR	LINK	ADA
BTC	·	90	70	82	79	36	46	56	74	37	77	71
ETH	90	·	68	78	76	32	44	64	71	30	78	65
BNB	70	68	·	67	67	39	36	45	78	37	64	62
XRP	82	78	67	·	73	35	51	55	85	25	73	77
SOL	79	76	67	73	·	23	44	62	71	44	74	64
TRX	36	32	39	35	23	·	20	15	32	23	21	29
ZEC	46	44	36	51	44	20	·	55	43	12	44	45
HYPE	56	64	45	55	62	15	55	·	49	18	56	44
DOGE	74	71	78	85	71	32	43	49	·	29	71	75
XMR	37	30	37	25	44	23	12	18	29	·	32	31
LINK	77	78	64	73	74	21	44	56	71	32	·	69
ADA	71	65	62	77	64	29	45	44	75	31	69	·

100 = perfect lockstep · 0 = unrelated · negative (red) = opposite moves. Stablecoins and tokenised gold excluded.

Calmest — smallest typical daily move

Coin	Typical day	Worst day (90d)
BTT	±0.0%	9.9%
FRAX	±0.2%	137.1%
LEO	±0.6%	4.3%
TRX	±0.7%	3.1%
SUN	±0.7%	4.8%
BDX	±0.9%	11.6%
NEXO	±0.9%	9.5%
BTC	±0.9%	6.2%
XDC	±1.0%	8.0%
BNB	±1.0%	7.5%

Wildest — largest typical daily move

Coin	Typical day	Worst day (90d)
PUMP	±4.0%	22.5%
LIT	±3.6%	15.4%
XPL	±3.5%	21.1%
ETHFI	±3.5%	18.4%
VVV	±3.4%	27.5%
FARTCOIN	±3.4%	16.2%
ZEC	±3.3%	21.9%
EIGEN	±3.3%	14.4%
JTO	±3.3%	15.0%
CVX	±3.3%	16.1%

How to use this honestly: high correlations mean a portfolio of ten coins can still be one bet on the crypto market's direction — real diversification for most Australians lives outside crypto, in position sizing. The volatility table is the "can I sleep at night" check: a coin whose normal day is ±5% will regularly hand you weeks of −20%. Size accordingly, check the portfolio tracker, and see today's actual moves on the daily wrap.

FAQ

What does a correlation of 0.8 between two coins mean?

That over the past 90 days their daily moves lined up strongly — when one rose, the other usually rose too. 1.0 is moving in lockstep, 0 is no relationship, negative means moving opposite. It describes the recent past; correlations shift with market regimes.

Why does this matter for diversification?

Diversification only reduces risk when the assets don't all move together. If everything you hold is 0.7+ correlated with Bitcoin, you own one bet in several costumes — the table above shows how true that is right now, coin by coin.

How is "typical daily move" calculated?

It's the median absolute daily price change over the past 90 days in AUD — the size of a normal day, not the scary outliers. We show the worst single day separately, because both numbers deserve to be seen before buying.

Computed from our own daily AUD price records (powered by CoinGecko) over the trailing 90 days; refreshed with each daily rebuild. Correlations are historical and change with market conditions. General information only, not financial advice.