The cryptocurrency market faced heavy pressure last week. Bitcoin dropped below US$116,000, declining 5.3% over seven days. Ethereum also slipped under US$4,300, along with many other altcoins that continued trading in the red.

However, amid this overall downturn, three altcoins managed to move against the trend. For those looking for assets with the potential to enter a price discovery phase, these three names are worth monitoring.

Epic Chain (EPIC)

EPIC is the main token of Epic Chain, a project backed by Ripple that focuses on real-world assets (RWA). It has quickly gained traction as one of the leading RWA tokens in the crypto space. Over the last 90 days, EPIC has consistently attracted interest from large-scale holders.

The token’s strength lies in its on-chain metrics. Smart Money ownership of EPIC surged 53.47% in the past three months, signaling that whales and early insiders are still accumulating.

At the same time, exchange balances dropped 15.17%, meaning fewer tokens are available for immediate sale — a classic sign of a potential supply shock. This outflow also suggests that long-term holders are transferring assets into cold wallets or preparing them for utility. Notably, the top 100 EPIC addresses have collectively added over 12 million tokens to their holdings.

From a technical standpoint, EPIC has been in a strong uptrend, climbing nearly 36% in just one week. The price broke cleanly above US$2.53 resistance and is now trading around US$2.92 — less than 4% below its all-time high (ATH) of US$3.02.

The next critical level is US$3.03 (a Fibonacci extension target). A confirmed close above this could push EPIC into uncharted price territory. On the flip side, a quick drop back below US$2.53 could send the structure sideways again. While this would not cancel the broader bullish trend, it might delay the pursuit of a new ATH.

Saros (SAROS)

Saros is a Solana-based super app that integrates DeFi, payments, and NFTs into a single platform. It was designed to deliver a seamless, all-in-one Web3 experience for users.

In the past week, whales increased their SAROS holdings by 0.29%. Though small, this uptick is meaningful. More notably, SAROS exchange balances plunged 58.33%, signaling a massive outflow for such a niche token.

This indicates both HODLing behavior and preparation for protocol utility. Historically, such setups often serve as an early signal for explosive moves.

Currently, SAROS is priced around US$0.39, only 5% below its ATH of US$0.41. On the daily chart, the token is consolidating just under the US$0.39 resistance level. A confirmed breakout above US$0.40 and then US$0.41 could push SAROS into the price discovery phase.

On the contrary, if the price slips below US$0.37, the short-term bullish structure may break down.

BNB (BNB)

BNB, the native token of the BNB Chain ecosystem, has also defied the broader market weakness. It is now trading only about 4% below its ATH.

What makes BNB stand out is that despite being a large-cap token, it still posted nearly 3% gains in the past week, while other giants like BTC and ETH recorded sharp declines.

The previous bullish rally drove BNB toward US$866 but failed to break through, forming a lower high. Should BNB reclaim the US$866 level, the token could re-enter price discovery mode, with the next target around US$882.

As of now, BNB is trading near US$834, down 3.4% over the past 24 hours. The chart reveals relatively strong support just above US$812. A breakdown below this level could seriously hurt its chances of hitting a new ATH.

Meanwhile, the Chaikin Money Flow (CMF) indicator sits at a neutral 0.01, slightly positive, implying some inflows though not yet strong. So far, there are no signs of massive accumulation or a large-scale dump. A move above 0.02 on the CMF would serve as confirmation of solid inflows.