Cryptocurrency markets shifted into a more defensive posture this week as rising Treasury yields, higher oil prices, and growing Federal Reserve rate-hike expectations pressured risk assets. Bitcoin declined below $77,000, though capital continued flowing into utility-focused sectors including DeFi and privacy tokens.
Weekly Winners
Venice Token [VVV] emerged as the top performer, gaining more than 35% to reach a new all-time high. The privacy-focused AI platform broke through a crucial $20 resistance level. Technically, VVV's relative strength index remained below overbought territory on the weekly chart, a more favorable position than the token's early-May rally.
Bitway [BTW] posted the second-largest weekly gain at 22%, rising after six consecutive weeks of gains. The Bitcoin-focused infrastructure project faces resistance near $0.60 with its RSI already in overbought territory.
Injective [INJ] secured the third position with a 10% weekly climb. The DeFi blockchain has demonstrated a steady uptrend since mid-August and maintains a neutral RSI level.
Other notable gainers included Lisk [LSK] with an 877% move, GreenHood [HOOD] surging 455%, and Stonk [STONK] gaining 237%.
Weekly Losers
Arbitrum [ARB] led declines with a 27% drop, though this followed a 124% weekly increase the previous week. The Ethereum Layer-2 network encountered resistance in the $0.20 zone. Notably, ARB's RSI never entered overbought territory during its prior rally, suggesting the decline may represent consolidation rather than a bearish reversal.
Ethena [ENA] declined 21%, placing it second among weekly losers. The synthetic-dollar protocol has tested the $0.15 level for three consecutive weeks, with cooling buyer enthusiasm reflected in a declining RSI.
Dash [DASH] fell 21% following a 70% rebound the prior week. The privacy-focused payment coin faced rejection at $80, a level it had not tested since early in the year.
Other significant losers included Safebit [SAFE] with a 67% drop, Basecat [BASECAT] falling 66%, and Cluster Protocol [CP] slipping 54%.
