Bitcoin posted its strongest weekly performance since March 2023, climbing from below $63,000 early in the week to an intraday high of $79,500 on August 21, with a maximum weekly gain of more than 26%. The cryptocurrency has now broken above its 200-day moving average for the first time since November 2025, which traders view as a signal of strengthening medium-term momentum. After the $79,500 rejection, analysts expect the market to gradually absorb overhead selling pressure and continue pushing higher, with most traders viewing $75,000–$73,000 as key support, especially near the short-term holder cost basis. A significant sell wall has accumulated between $79,000 and $80,000, and if absorbed, further upside could be triggered. Well-known trader Killa, comparing the current structure with the 2022 bottom formation, believes the pullback after this rally may not be too deep, with $70,000–$73,000 potentially becoming the bottom of the range. Currently, Bitcoin is oscillating in the $76,000–$77,000 range, with the market quickly swinging between "the bull is back" and "short-term overheating" sentiment.
Institutional demand returned sharply to U.S.-listed spot exchange-traded funds, with Bloomberg reporting approximately $1.92 billion in net Bitcoin ETF inflows last week, the strongest weekly total in 10 months. Separate data cited by CoinCrafty showed $307.5 million flowing into Bitcoin ETFs on August 21, alongside $184 million for Ethereum ETFs. The inflows matter because they followed several weeks of outflows and provide a fresh source of demand while prices test elevated levels. Bitcoin rose 1.67% to $77,463.67 on $26.44 billion in volume, while Ethereum gained 2.83% to $2,455.62 on $30.07 billion in the latest 24-hour trading session. ETF flows became the dominant bullish narrative across crypto markets, with market prices responding positively to the renewed institutional interest.
Zcash gained 7.22% on $3.31 billion in volume, making it the strongest top-20 asset in the latest trading session. As reported by market analysts, ZEC now trades at $843.18, setting a new all-time high as of today, with the rally positioning the token inside the first target zone ending at the 1.272 Fibonacci extension at $903. The next objective above $903 sits at the 1.618 extension at $1,099, while support levels are established at the 0.786 Fibonacci level near $628 and a deeper floor at $533. However, the weekly RSI has reached 70, placing ZEC on the edge of overbought territory, with volume remaining thin through the range before last week's spike. ZEC is the only asset among the top five to hit a new all-time high and the only asset to have fully recovered all historical losses during this rally, reflecting the characteristic of this rebound where established projects are attracting capital flows.
Aave rose 65.48% and broke out of the descending parallel channel that had capped it since January, clearing the $125 resistance band which now flips to first support. According to market data, AAVE trades at $130, reaching a new high since February this year, with the breakout positioning the token below the former channel floor near $90. The next hurdle sits at $150, the zone AAVE broke down from in early January, with last week's high of $144.68 already coming within 4% of it. A weekly RSI of 60 leaves room before overbought conditions appear, unlike ZEC, while institutional interest in Grayscale and other funds has built up throughout the year. The gradient distribution of gains precisely maps out the complete route of this capital flow, with Bitcoin setting the stage and major coins carrying performance before altcoins and Meme coins take the spotlight.
XRP climbed 1.60% to $1.4844, maintaining its position above the $1.50 level after breaking the descending trendline drawn from its July 2025 record near $3.66. As reported by market analysts, XRP trades at $1.4844, down 1.02% over 24 hours, with volume on the breakout candle reaching its highest level since February, indicating genuine participation. The token also cleared the May swing high at $1.4735 and turned it into support, with resistance now sitting at the 0.618 Fibonacci level at $1.70. Weekly RSI at 57 remains neutral, leaving XRP with the most headroom of the three tokens, with continued strength keeping the $903 target in ZEC, $150 in AAVE, and $1.70 in XRP in play. The privacy sector tends to command an additional safe-haven premium in environments of rising macro uncertainty, with established projects like Zcash attracting capital flows.
Ethereum was equally strong, starting last week from around $1,900 and reaching a high of $2,546, with a weekly gain of nearly 30%, significantly outperforming Bitcoin. The ETH/BTC ratio rebounded to around 0.031, and its market cap climbed back above $280 billion. However, deleveraging signals also appeared on-chain, with F2Pool co-founder Wang Chun suspected of transferring 12,765 ETH to Binance within three days to repay loans. Institutions such as Abraxas Capital and Wintermute established large short positions on Hyperliquid, showing that professional capital is not unanimously bullish. Among the top 100 by market cap, leading gainers included ENA, up more than 100% for the week, catalyzed by Coinbase strategic cooperation and the FalconX warehousing facility; TRUMP, up about 90%, driven by political meme momentum and crypto legislation news; and PUMP, up 99%, amid surging trading volume on the Solana meme launchpad. HYPE briefly broke above $83 to extend its record high and gained more than 44% over seven days, while AAVE broke above $130, reaching a new high since February this year.
