The cryptocurrency market showed signs of recovery this week, buoyed by softer U.S. inflation data at 2.4 percent and a robust labor market, which raised expectations for Federal Reserve interest rate cuts. While major coins like Bitcoin and Ethereum remained subdued, smaller altcoins dominated with significant gains. However, some tokens faced sharp declines amid shifting investor sentiment.
The crypto market ended the week on a positive note after recent losses, influenced by economic indicators from the U.S. Inflation eased to 2.4 percent, and the labor market held strong, fostering hopes for potential rate reductions by the Federal Reserve—a development often favorable to cryptocurrencies.
Bitcoin and Ethereum delivered lackluster performances, but smaller-cap tokens captured much of the attention. Among the standout performers, pippin [PIPPIN] experienced a dramatic surge, climbing more than 280 percent from an accumulation zone of $0.16 to $0.20 up to above $0.72 in just over a week. This breakout followed concentrated buying in lower ranges, with technical indicators like the Relative Strength Index (RSI) signaling sustained demand and the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) remaining bullish. Rising wallet counts and active incentives further supported the rally.
Zcash [ZEC] rose 33 percent, moving from around $230 to above $330 before stabilizing at $307. The uptick came after comments from Digital Currency Group CEO Barry Silbert, who suggested that 5 percent to 10 percent of Bitcoin investments might shift to privacy coins in the coming years and described Zcash as capable of delivering 500x returns.
Humanity Protocol [H] gained nearly 90 percent, trading near $0.23 after basing around $0.12. Its progress was aided by an integration with Fireblocks, granting access to over 2,000 financial institutions for custody and interaction. The project's privacy-focused mainnet and decentralized identity features drew interest, with RSI holding above 70 and MACD bullish.
Other gainers included Dogecoin [DOGE] at 18 percent, Shiba Inu [SHIB] at 12 percent, and Pi [PI] leading with 30 percent.
On the downside, MYX Finance [MYX] plummeted nearly 70 percent from $6.30 to below $2.00, entering oversold territory with an RSI of 26 and negative Chaikin Money Flow (CMF). Memecore [M] declined over 10 percent to $1.27 after failing to hold $1.85 highs, with RSI at 41. Aptos [APT] slipped from $1.10 to below $1.00, finding tentative support near $0.90, though RSI neared oversold at 29 and On-Balance Volume (OBV) remained low.
Additional losers were Story [IP] down 6 percent, Bitget Token [BGB] at 7 percent, and DoubleZero [2Z] with a 13 percent drop.
The week's movements highlight the volatility in smaller tokens, where rapid shifts can occur based on technical patterns and external catalysts.
