Leading cryptocurrencies demonstrated notable volatility on Sunday evening, with Bitcoin and Ethereum registering substantial gains amid heightened trading volumes, while XRP trailed with a modest decline.
Bitcoin advanced by approximately 0.97%, reaching a price point near $91,445 as volume surged by nearly 75% over the previous 24-hour period. Ethereum experienced a 1.21% increase to trade close to $3,129, buoyed by a similarly strong volume uptick of 84% in the same timeframe. These movements contribute to positive year-to-date returns of 4.42% for Bitcoin and over 5.6% for Ethereum in 2026.
The broader cryptocurrency market faced significant liquidation activity, with over $140 million wiped out within 24 hours according to Coinglass data. This liquidation was balanced between long and short position closures. Notwithstanding, Bitcoin's open interest reflected a modest 0.69% increase, with data indicating that approximately 70% of Binance traders holding open positions on Bitcoin remain long.
Market sentiment remains dominated by apprehension, as reflected by persistently low scores on the Crypto Fear and Greed Index.
Within the top gainers among cryptocurrencies with market caps exceeding $100 million, Story (IP) surged by 24% to $2.47, BUILDon (B) climbed 22.52% to $0.2758, and DeepBook Protocol (DEEP) increased 22.86% to reach $17.47.
The global cryptocurrency market capitalization presently stands at approximately $3.1 trillion, following a marginal increase of 0.45% over the preceding day.
Contrasting the gains in cryptocurrency, stock market futures moved lower overnight on Sunday. Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined by 186 points, or 0.37%, as of 8:40 p.m. EDT. Similarly, S&P 500 futures slipped by 0.47% and Nasdaq 100 futures dropped 0.72%.
This downturn in equity futures coincided with developments concerning legal actions targeting the Federal Reserve. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell revealed that subpoenas had been issued to the institution, pertaining to a potential criminal indictment linked to testimony provided before the Senate Banking Committee last June. Powell characterized this legal effort as a repercussion of his decisions on interest rates deviating from the preferences of the President.
Regarding Ethereum, prominent cryptocurrency analyst Michaël van de Poppe observed that the asset maintains support above a critical resistance level between $3,000 and $3,100. He indicated that holding above this threshold enhances the likelihood of the asset reaching new monthly highs.
Conversely, cryptocurrency commentator EliZ expressed a cautious viewpoint on Bitcoin, labeling it as "structurally weak" with no "credible" evidence indicating the formation of a bottom. According to EliZ, any rebounds observed currently are primarily technical in nature until the underlying market structure evolves.