ATL (All-Time Low)

ATL is the lowest price point a cryptocurrency has ever reached since its launch or since trading data became available, representing the historical bottom for the asset and often associated with extreme negative sentiment, capitulation events, project failures, or market-wide crashes.

ATL levels serve as psychological reference points in technical analysis and risk assessment, with some traders viewing ATL approaches as potential buying opportunities if fundamentals remain intact, while others interpret new ATLs as warning signals of fundamental deterioration or project collapse. Unlike ATH which generates celebration and FOMO, ATL typically coincides with panic selling, loss of confidence, reduced liquidity, and questioning of project viability.

Common causes of ATL events include rug pulls or exit scams driving prices to near-zero, major security breaches or smart contract exploits eliminating trust, regulatory enforcement actions against projects, revelation of fraud or team misconduct, macroeconomic crashes affecting entire crypto market, technological obsolescence as competing solutions emerge, and loss of community support or developer abandonment. Compliance professionals analyzing fraud cases should note ATL context when documenting victim losses, as purchases near previous ATL followed by new ATL levels can indicate either bargain hunting or falling knife scenarios. Blockchain analytics can identify wallet behaviors around ATL periods, distinguishing between capitulation selling, insider accumulation, or complete abandonment. Projects reaching new ATLs repeatedly over extended periods often signal fundamental failure rather than temporary volatility.