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Crypto Crash Hits Riskiest Tokens as Small-Cap Index Plunges to 2020 Lows
17 Nov
Summary
- Small-cap crypto index hits lowest level since November 2020
- Altcoins trail larger cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum
- Retail investors learning to focus on quality coins in crypto downturn
As of November 17th, 2025, the crypto market selloff shows no signs of abating, and the riskiest tokens are facing the harshest consequences. The MarketVector Digital Assets 100 Small-Cap Index, which tracks the 50 smallest digital assets in a basket of 100, has fallen to its lowest level since November 2020, though it has since pared some of those losses.
The plunge in the small-cap index comes as Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency, has erased its roughly 30% advance for 2025 through early October, when it hit a record high. Meanwhile, so-called altcoins, which are seen as a barometer of risk appetite in the most speculative corners of crypto, have trailed their larger counterparts by a wide margin since early 2024.
