Bitcoin News Today: Privacy Demand Fuels ZEC's 18.83% Surge Amid Crypto Market Downturn

Zcash (ZEC) demonstrated resilience amid a broader cryptocurrency market downturn, surging 18.83% to an intraday high of $275 on October 11, defying a selloff that saw Bitcoin (BTC) drop over 8% and Ethereum (ETH) plunge more than 12% . The divergence in performance highlighted ZEC's potential to attract capital rotation as traders sought outperforming assets during the crisis. Over the past 30 days, ZEC's price had already surged 250%, breaking out of a cup-and-handle pattern and drawing comparisons to gold's rally to a new all-time high . Analysts attributed the surge to growing demand for privacy-focused assets amid tightening anti-money laundering (AML) regulations globally .

Despite a 10% pullback in the following days, ZEC's price remained significantly higher than its pre-rally levels, with a 470% gain in a month. Factors such as Grayscale's ZEC trust, ETF speculation, and endorsements from figures like Naval Ravikant were cited as contributing to the momentum . On-chain metrics, including a 240% rise in ZEC's price and an 804% increase in social media engagement per Messari data, underscored its renewed relevance . Privacy advocates argued that ZEC's value proposition as a hedge against Bitcoin's volatility and surveillance concerns positioned it for long-term adoption .

Bitcoin, meanwhile, stabilized below $112,000 after a market crash triggered by U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement of a 100% tariff on Chinese imports. The move led to over $19 billion in crypto liquidations in 24 hours, the largest single-day wipeout in history . BTC briefly dipped to $101,500 before recovering to around $111,000 . While the broader market faced a $560 billion market cap collapse, Bitcoin's ability to hold key support levels suggested the bull market structure remained intact . Analysts noted that the crash flushed out excessive leverage, potentially setting the stage for a more sustainable rally if macroeconomic conditions stabilize .

ZEC's technical indicators, including a bullish MACD crossover and a weighted sentiment shift to positive on Santiment, reinforced its potential for further gains . However, volatility persisted due to ZEC's limited circulating supply (30%), which amplified price swings during high-volume periods . Institutional long positions in the futures market offered some support, though traders warned of prolonged downturns if selling pressure intensified .

[1] ZEC Defies Market Crash with 19% Surge, Breaks $275 (https://www.tradingkey.com/news/cryptocurrencies/251186560-zec-crypto-btc-eth-bnb-tradingkey)

[2] Will Zcash Price Follow Gold's Rally to ATH After 250% Surge? (https://www.ccn.com/analysis/crypto/zcash-price-zec-rockets-multi-year-high-targets-gold-structure/)

[3] ZCash Token Price Continues to Rise: Is an ATH Ahead? (https://www.coingabbar.com/en/price-prediction/zcash-token-price-defies-todays-crypto-market-crash)

[4] Crypto Liquidation hits $19B as Trump's China Tariff Triggers Market Crash (https://coinpedia.org/news/crypto-liquidation-hits-19b-as-trumps-china-tariff-triggers-market-crash/)

[5] Zcash Price Falls 10%, What's Really Behind the Crash? (https://beincrypto.com/zcash-zec-price-privacy-coins/)

[6] Zcash drops 10% after explosive rally – ZEC's road ahead is unclear (https://ambcrypto.com/zcash-drops-10-after-explosive-rally-zecs-road-ahead-is-unclear/)

[7] Over $19 billion liquidated in worst crypto crash since COVID (https://www.thestreet.com/crypto/markets/over-19-billion-liquidated-crypto-crash-trump-tariffs)

[8] Crypto's $19 Billion Liquidation Explained: Here's What Happened (https://www.ccn.com/education/crypto/cryptos-19-billion-liquidation-explained-trump-china-tariff-leverage-crash/)

[9] Crypto Market Hit by $19B Liquidation, $400B Wipeout (https://coin360.com/news/crypto-market-liquidation-2025-trump-tariffs)