Weekly Crypto Update: Ethereum Hits ATH at $4,900

Volatility dominated the crypto markets between August 18–24, 2025. Bitcoin (BTC) started strong near $118,000 but dropped to $112,481 on August 20 after U.S. inflation data triggered $1B+ in liquidations. A brief recovery to $116,929 on August 21 wasn’t enough to hold ground, and BTC closed the week lower at $114,460 (–3%), trimming its market cap from $2.33T → $2.30T.

The real star was Ethereum (ETH). After dipping to $4,080 mid-week, ETH surged nearly 15%, smashing its all-time high by closing around $4,866–$4,905 on August 23–24. This run, fueled by Powell’s dovish Jackson Hole speech hinting at September rate cuts, also highlighted ETH’s massive 250% rebound since April lows.

Ethereum ETFs confirmed the rotation: following $580M outflows pre-speech, inflows exploded to nearly $600M in the final days of the week bringing total August inflows to $2.8–$2.96B and pushing ETF holdings above 6.4M ETH. ETH is now leading institutional adoption momentum, while BTC consolidates.

Top Gainers 📈

$NEON (+129%)

• Boosted by Samsung settlement update.
• Renewed investor confidence drove rapid accumulation.

$QTUM (+48%)

• Over 40k tokens generated from staking rewards.
• Rising yield narrative attracted fresh inflows.

$SPON (+29%)

• Surpassed 200k network users, fueling adoption hype.
• Positive growth outlook reinforced momentum.

$CFG (+27%)

• Monthly trading volume surged 4,000%.
• Liquidity expansion created bullish tailwinds.

$TLOS (+20%)

• Anticipation around Telos Bridge Upgrade.
• Ecosystem growth narrative kept sentiment positive.

Top Losers 📉

$GP (–34%)

• Dropped 7x in 30 days, eroding investor confidence.
• Bearish momentum intensified by lack of catalysts.

$EDGE (–29%)

• Traders locked profits after 4x rally last week.
• Correction phase as volume normalized.

$HOME (–21%)

• Sharp decline due to massive volume drop.
• Liquidity thinning accelerated sell pressure.

$SAROS (–20%)

• Rejected 4 times at $0.40 level.
• Failed breakouts triggered sell-offs.

$KTA (–14%)

• Price hovered close to ATH.
• Heavy profit-taking capped further upside.

Closing Thoughts

This weekly crypto update underscored a sharp divergence: Bitcoin steadied but trended lower, while Ethereum broke its ATH on institutional inflows and Powell’s policy optimism. Altcoin rotations continued, with selective projects like $NEON and $QTUM surging while others corrected on profit-taking.

Going into late August, the market’s key focus will be:

• Can ETH sustain above $4,800–$5,000?
• Will BTC defend $114K as support?
• And will Powell’s policy optimism be enough to trigger a broader altcoin breakout in September?