Crypto Bull Is Back, Which Assets Bounced the Hardest?
The cryptocurrency market experienced a significant surge last week, with Bitcoin rallying over 26% to nearly $79,500, its strongest weekly gain since March 2023, fueling discussions of a renewed bull market.
This rebound highlighted several key market dynamics. First, short-term directional shifts are increasingly tied to U.S. policy cycles. The rally was driven by two major catalysts: the U.S. Treasury's announcement to increase long-term bond buybacks, easing macro liquidity pressures, and former President Trump's push for clearer crypto legislation, boosting regulatory certainty and risk appetite.
Second, Bitcoin spot ETFs solidified their role as a leading market indicator. In the week ending August 21, U.S. Bitcoin and Ethereum spot ETFs saw a combined net inflow of $2.6 billion, the highest since October 2025, signaling strong institutional re-entry.
Third, the rally followed a clear capital rotation pattern: Bitcoin's breakout ignited broader gains, with Ethereum (up nearly 30%), major altcoins, and meme coins sequentially posting larger percentage increases.
Analysis of the top performers among the top 50 altcoins by market cap revealed the week's biggest gainers: ENA (Ethena) led with a 100.75% surge, fueled by a Coinbase partnership. It was followed by PUMP (Pump.fun, up 88-99%), STX (Stacks, up 82-94%), TRUMP (Official Trump, up 79-91%), and ZEC (Zcash, up 75.15%), which uniquely reached a new all-time high. Meme coins like BOME on Solana also saw explosive gains, exemplifying the high-risk, high-reward sentiment.
The rally illustrated a clear path: Bitcoin set the stage, major coins like Ethereum led the charge, and altcoins/meme coins delivered the most explosive returns, mapping the gradient of returning market enthusiasm.
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