Zcash and Monero lead gains as Bitcoin remains flat

Bitcoin and Ethereum spent the day doing their best impression of a screensaver. Zcash and Monero, meanwhile, were the top performers among the largest coins over the last 24 hours, according to Decrypt.

Zcash (ZEC) is trading between $1,300 and $1,370 as of early October 2026. That puts its year-to-date gain above 700%.

The token hit an all-time high near $1,699 on September 26, 2026, then pulled back.

Monero (XMR) is priced around $560, also showing positive yearly gains. Its peak came earlier, at approximately $801 in January 2026, so the coin is still working its way back toward that mark.

The broader category tells a similar story. Privacy coins as a group are up 205% since April 2026.

In dollar terms, the sector added approximately $24.5 billion in market capitalization over a five-month stretch ending in late September 2026.

Grayscale launched its ZCSH ETF on NYSE Arca on August 25, 2026. The fund attracted hundreds of millions in inflows in its early days before recent weeks brought some outflows as the price swung around.

The outflows are worth noting. ETF money tends to chase momentum, and ZEC's retreat from its September high and the fund's recent redemptions likely feed into each other.