Ethereum within $200 of ATH, Solana surges, and the latest inflation numbers from US

Team Luno

August 13, 2025 · 11 minute read

💎 Ethereum nears ATH — ETH came within $200 of its $4,878 record, up 7% overnight.

🚀 Solana surges — SOL jumps over 12% in the past 24 hours.

📉 Rate cut hopes rise — Stable US inflation strengthens expectations for September cuts.

Before we get to the latest US inflation numbers, let’s first look at the momentum building in Ethereum (ETH), which in the last 24 hours came within $200 of hitting a new all-time high. This comes on the back of an increase in public companies pursuing an ETH treasury strategy, raising capital to invest large amounts in ETH for their balance sheets. The original smart contracts crypto is currently trading at $4,635, up more than 7% overnight. For perspective, Ethereum’s all-time high is roughly $4,878, set four years ago in November, and its daily high yesterday was around $4,674. Will it push beyond this level today? An Ethereum competitor, Solana (SOL), is also surging, up more than 12% this morning.

As Ethereum and others rally, the Bitcoin market continues to look for clear direction after its numerous all-time highs in July. The market-cap leader is trading just shy of $120,000 this morning, up 0.7%.

US stock markets posted fresh all-time highs alongside stable inflation data from the US yesterday, matching investor expectations. Analysts say this also supports the narrative that the Fed could feel comfortable enough to start lowering interest rates during its September meeting. Will this provide more tailwinds for crypto and stock markets?

🌍 Total crypto market cap ↗️

The global crypto market cap is approximately $4.06  trillion, up 2.31% over the past 24 hours.

🟠 Bitcoin (BTC) ↗️

Price: $119,323 up 0.24% in the last 24 h
Daily high: $120,203
Daily low: $118,252

📈 S&P 500 ↗️

SPY is currently up about 1.13% since yesterday’s close.

📈 Nasdaq 100 ↗️

The Nasdaq Composite index is up about 1.13% overnight.

🥳 Fear & Greed Index

The Crypto Fear & Greed Index stands at 63/100, in Greed.

📊 Bitcoin Relative Strength Index (RSI) (14)

The 14-day RSI for BTC is approximately 47, in neutral territory.

Data is correct as at 13 August, 07:53 GMT.

Newsmaker

US inflation comes in stable, in line with investor expectations

The latest inflation numbers from the US showed that inflation rose 2.7% in the year to July, the same as in June. The data was in line with market expectations.
“Analysts said the relatively contained pace of price rises could bolster the case for the US central bank to lower borrowing costs to support the economy as job growth slows,” The BBC reports.
“In the short-term, markets will likely embrace these numbers because they should allow the Fed to focus on labor-market weakness and keep a September rate cut on the table,” Ellen Zentner, chief economic strategist for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, commented to the news publication,

*Investing in cryptocurrency may result in the loss of capital. This information should not be construed as a solicitation to trade. All opinions, news, research, analysis, prices or other information is provided as general market commentary for information purposes only and is not investment advice or recommendation. Luno always advises you to obtain your own independent financial advice before investing or trading in cryptocurrency.

12 August

Bitcoin (BTC) pulled back yesterday from $122,000 to trade around $119,000 this morning. It’s the second time since 14 July that the market-cap leader has hit a price ceiling around this level, a so-called double top in technical analysis, generally considered a short-term bearish chart pattern. Ethereum (ETH) remains in the green but has pumped the brakes slightly, trading around $4,300 this morning.

Spot ETH ETFs saw their biggest net inflow day ever on Monday as the original smart contracts crypto continues to show strong long-term momentum: it’s now up more than 18% over the past 7 days, and more than 45% over the past 30 days.

The broader crypto market is seeing declines, though, some steeper than others, especially among smaller caps.

As for stock markets, US stocks are marginally in the red this morning, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 both down.

Today’s US CPI report is a big one to watch for equity and crypto investors, with economists forecasting a 0.2% month-over-month increase and a 2.8% annual increase for July, according to Dow Jones estimates. There’s also drama involving President Donald Trump and another US financial institution, this time with the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Trump removed BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer without naming a clear replacement, after data showed a surprise weakening in the US jobs market last month. Reuters reports that further politicisation of these data releases “could exacerbate concerns about CPI data collection.” Against this backdrop, the Fed will meet on 20–21 August to decide the way forward on interest rates, which could set the tone for the September meeting, where a rate cut is widely expected – generally considered a positive development for crypto and stock markets.

Top movers over 24 hours

↗️ Tron (TRX): +1.8%

↗️ Bitcoin Cash (BCH): +2.6%

↗️ Lido DAO (LDO): +1.8%

🌍 Total crypto market cap ↘️

The global crypto market cap is approximately $3.97  trillion, down 1.77% over the past 24 hours.

🟠 Bitcoin (BTC) ↘️

Price: $119,143 down 2.18% in the last 24 h
Daily high: $121,687
Daily low: $118,364

📈 S&P 500 ↘️

SPY is currently down about 0.25% since yesterday’s close.

📈 Nasdaq 100 ↘️

The Nasdaq Composite index is down about 0.3% overnight.

🥳 Fear & Greed Index

The Crypto Fear & Greed Index stands at 60/100, in Greed.

📊 Bitcoin Relative Strength Index (RSI) (14)

The 14-day RSI for BTC is approximately 44, in neutral territory.

Data is correct as at 12 August, 08:35 GMT.

Newsmaker

Spot ETH ETFs see biggest day of inflows on record

Spot Ether (ETH) exchange-traded funds (ETFs) recorded their biggest day of net inflows ever on Monday, with flows across all funds totalling $1.01 billion, according to Cointelegraph.
The publication reports that on-chain data platform Token Terminal noted that Ethereum remained the dominant chain for tokenised assets, accounting for about 58% of all tokenised assets across all chains. Assets staked on Ethereum also surpassed the $150 billion milestone for the first time.

11 August

🟠 Bitcoin breakout attempt – BTC up 2.5% overnight, trading above $120,000.

💎 Altcoin strength – Ethereum above $4,200; Lido DAO and Layer Zero rally.

📊 Market sentiment shift – Fear and Greed Index back in Greed territory.

📅 Key macro trigger – US inflation data tomorrow could set the week’s tone.

Crypto markets are off to a good start this week, with Bitcoin (BTC) up 2.5% overnight and trading above $120,000 after struggling to break through this level for weeks. Ethereum (ETH) is gaining momentum above $4,200, while others like Lido DAO (LDO) and Layer Zero (ZRO) have also surged overnight. The momentum has pushed the Fear and Greed Index firmly back into Greed territory.

It’s unclear what exactly jolted markets this morning. Some point to strong tech stock earnings last week, but attention now turns to the US inflation report due tomorrow. Analysts say the latest CPI reading could set the tone for the week, with the Federal Reserve watching to see how the economy is responding to Trump’s tariff wars, and whether a September rate cut is still on the table, as investor expectations suggest. Will Bitcoin break above the benchmark of roughly $123,218 this week? Will altcoins keep outperforming the market-cap leaders? It’s an interesting development to watch.

Top movers over 24 hours

↗️ Lido DAO (LDO): +15%

↗️ Layer Zero (ZRO): +28%

↗️ Litecoin (LTC): 3.95%

🌍 Total crypto market cap ↗️

The global crypto market cap is approximately $4.03  trillion, up 2.% over the past 24 hours.

🟠 Bitcoin (BTC) ↗️

Price: $121,590 up 3.02% in the last 24 h
Daily high: $122,227
Daily low: $117,983

📈 S&P 500 ↗️

SPY is currently down about 0.78% since yesterday’s close.

🥳 Fear & Greed Index

The Crypto Fear & Greed Index stands at 62/100, in Greed.

📊 Bitcoin Relative Strength Index (RSI) (14)

The 14-day RSI for BTC is approximately 70, in neutral territory.

08 August

📈 Bitcoin nears $117,000 – as Fear & Greed Index edges into “Greed” territory.

🚀 XRP jumps 11% – after Ripple’s five-year SEC battle comes to a close.

🌟 Stellar (XLM) rallies 15% – gaining over 70% in 30 days.

🏦 Trump opens door – for US pension funds to invest in alternative assets like crypto.

As the Fear and Greed Index continues to push into “Greed” this week, Bitcoin (BTC) and the broader crypto market are up significantly over the past 24 hours. The market-cap leader is now trading just below $117,000, while Ethereum is approaching the key $4,000 level, gaining more than 5% overnight. XRP is the biggest mover, jumping 11% after Ripple Labs, the issuer of XRP, finally concluded its five-year legal battle with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Further down the market cap list, some altcoins are posting outsized gains. Stellar (XLM) is up more than 15% overnight, bringing its 30-day rally to over 70%.

The rally coincides with news from the US: President Donald Trump is expected to open the door for pension funds to include “alternative assets” in their portfolios. If it happens, it could open crypto to massive amounts of new capital.

Top movers over 24 hours

↗️ Stellar (XLM): +15%

↗️ Lido DAO (LDO): +15%

↗️ Chainlink (LINK): +14%

🌍 Total crypto market cap ↗️

The global crypto market cap is approximately $3.87  trillion, up 2.95% over the past 24 hours.

🟠 Bitcoin (BTC) ↗️

Price: $116,113, up 1.86% in the last 24 h
Daily high: $117,596
Daily low: $114,764

📈 S&P 500 ↘️

SPY is currently down about 0.08% since yesterday’s close.

🥳 Fear & Greed Index

The Crypto Fear & Greed Index stands at 59/100, bordering on Greed.

📊 Bitcoin Relative Strength Index (RSI) (14)

The 14-day RSI for BTC is approximately 58, in neutral territory.

Data is accurate as at 07:35 GMT, 08 August.

Newsmaker

Trump plans to allow crypto into pension plans

US president Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order which would allow 401k pension plans to include so-called alternative assets such as Bitcoin.
The order will direct the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to facilitate the use of alternative assets in 401k plans and other retirement accounts.
“The order would mark a major shift in retirement investments, opening up the traditionally staid industry to more speculative and sometimes illiquid investments. Typically, most 401k participants are offered a mix of stock or bond funds or index products in which to invest,” Yahoo! Finance reports.

07 August

🟢 Ethereum recovery: ETH is bouncing back from last week’s dip.

🤗 Greed creeping in: The Fear and Greed Index is moving closer to “Greed” territory.

🚀 Pol (POL) surges: Up 8% overnight and 28% for the month, one of the few assets in the green this week.

📈 Stocks improve: Nasdaq and S&P 500 climb following positive tech earnings.

Crypto markets are ticking higher this morning, with Ethereum notably continuing to claw back losses from last Friday’s dip across equity and crypto markets. Sentiment also seems to be improving, with the Fear and Greed Index edging closer to “Greed” after spending a few days in “Neutral.”

Bitcoin remains in a sideways pattern following new highs in July, entering what crypto analytics firm Glassnode describes as a low-liquidity “air gap” between $110,000 and current levels. “Opportunistic buying has emerged, but the market is yet to reclaim key resistance levels,” the firm noted in its latest newsletter.

In altcoins, among the standout movers is Pol (POL), up 8% overnight and now showing monthly gains of 28%. It’s one of the few crypto assets in the green over the past seven days.

Stock markets are also mostly in the green, buoyed by continued strong financials from major tech firms. The Nasdaq rose 1.2% overnight, while the S&P 500 added 0.7%.

Top movers over 24 hours

↗️ Pol (POL): +8.2%

↗️ Maker (MKR): +5.2%

↗️ Starknet (STRK): +4.1%

🌍 Total crypto market cap ↗️

The global crypto market cap is approximately $3.73  trillion, up 0.1% over the past 24 hours.

🟠 Bitcoin (BTC) ↗️

Price: $114,768, up 0.54% in the last 24 h
Daily high: $115,663
Daily low: $113,794

📈 S&P 500 ↗️

SPY is currently up about 0.73% since yesterday’s close.

🥳 Fear & Greed Index

The Crypto Fear & Greed Index stands at 54/100, indicating a neutral sentiment among investors.

📊 Bitcoin Relative Strength Index (RSI) (14)

The 14-day RSI for BTC is approximately 52, in neutral territory.

Data is accurate as at 07:57 GMT, 07 August.

Newsmaker

ETH treasury momentum continues

Another public company has adopted an Ethereum (ETH) treasury strategy, wherein companies buy large amounts of ETH to add to their treasury holdings.
The latest is Cosmos Health, a Nasdaq-listed healthcare firm, who has reportedly secured up to $300 million in financing to invest in ETH.

“Our entry into the digital asset space is not a short-term pivot, but part of a broader commitment to innovation,” Greg Siokas, CEO of Cosmos Health, said in a company press release. “We are confident that the size and flexibility of this facility should position us to deliver long-term, sustainable value for our shareholders.”

06 August

📉 Crypto flat: Bitcoin and Ethereum remain unchanged, with overall market cap down just 0.3%.

📊 Stocks cool off: Biggest names in US stock market dip after a brief rally; AMD and Rivian report today.

🌍 Tariff tensions: Trump threatens steep new tariffs, including 250% on pharma from India.

Markets remain largely unchanged this morning. Bitcoin (BTC) has barely moved, and the broader US stock market has cooled off after yesterday’s spike, which analysts say was driven by strong quarterly results from some of the S&P 500’s biggest names. The total crypto market cap is down just 0.3%, with both Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) showing minimal 24-hour changes.

It’s a similar story in equities. Big names like Meta (META), Tesla (TSLA), and Microsoft (MSFT) are in the red this morning after spending Monday in the green. More earnings are expected today from AMD (AMD) and Rivian (RIVN), with McDonald’s (MCD) and Disney (DIS) reporting tomorrow.

Two key narratives are weighing on both crypto and equities: renewed tariff threats and weaker-than-expected economic data. Donald Trump stirred markets yesterday by floating new tariff threats against India, including possible pharmaceutical tariffs as high as 250%. Meanwhile, the ISM Services Index, a key gauge of US economic activity, flatlined in July, fueling talk of stagflation. Which events could knock markets out of the current sideways drift?

Top movers over 24 hours

↗️ Pol (POL): +4.4%

↗️ The Graph (GRT): +1.3%

↗️ Immutable (IMX): +1.3%

🌍 Total crypto market cap ↘️

The global crypto market cap is approximately $3.73  trillion, down 0.33% over the past 24 hours.

🟠 Bitcoin (BTC) ↘️

Price: $114,214, down 0.08% in the last 24 h
Daily high: $114,988
Daily low: $112,770

📈 S&P 500 ↘️

SPY is currently down about 0.49% since yesterday’s close.

🥳 Fear & Greed Index

The Crypto Fear & Greed Index stands at 52/100, indicating a neutral sentiment among investors.

📊 Bitcoin Relative Strength Index (RSI) (14)

The 14-day RSI for BTC is approximately 54, in neutral territory.

Data is accurate as at 07:22 GMT, 06 August.

Newsmaker

US state tripled exposure to BTC, filing shows

The State of Michigan Retirement System tripled its Bitcoin exposure, reporting 300,000 shares of the ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF, in the second quarter.

That’s an increase from 100,000 shares previously reported, according to a 13F form filed Monday with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, according to Decrypt.
“Pension funds operate based on rules around the circulating market cap of any asset, potential upside, and max drawdowns, Ganesh Mahidhar, investment professional at Further Ventures, told the publication. “In other words, through careful monitoring of Sharpe ratios, Bitcoin has been on that radar for a while now, and that is what we see being reflected in these purchases.”

05 August

⏩ Sideways action: Bitcoin trades flat while Litecoin pops 8%, with Solana and Ethereum also in the green.

📈 Stocks gain: S&P 500 jumps 1.5% after strong earnings from Palantir and others.

🔍 Eyes on August: Investors look to economic data for hints on future Fed moves.

Bitcoin (BTC and others continue to move sideways this morning, with the market-cap leader slightly in the red by less than a percentage point. Litecoin (LTC) is bucking the trend, gaining as much as 8%, with Solana (SOL) and Ethereum (ETH) also trading in the green.

In contrast, the US stock market has rebounded from yesterday’s sharp losses, with the S&P 500 up more than 1.5% on the back of strong quarterly earnings from Palantir and others. Palantir’s (PLTR) stock rose 4% after the company reported revenue exceeding $1 billion for the first time.

Both stock and crypto markets dipped on Friday after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell gave a rather hawkish press briefing, reiterating the Fed’s cautious stance and noting no obvious signs of economic stress that would justify cutting rates soon.

Whether August’s economic indicators shift the Fed’s stance remains to be seen, but investors will be watching closely for clues on where markets may head next.

Top movers over 24 hours

↗️ Litecoin(LTC): +9.3%

↗️ Pol (POL): +4.5%

↗️ Uniswap (UNI): +4%

🌍 Total crypto market cap ↗️

The global crypto market cap is approximately $3.72  trillion, up 1.06% over the past 24 hours.

🟠 Bitcoin (BTC) ↘️

Price: $114,110, down 0.76% in the last 24 h
Daily high: $114,869
Daily low: $113,582

📈 S&P 500 ↗️

SPY is currently up about 1.4% since yesterday’s close.

😐 Fear & Greed Index

The Crypto Fear & Greed Index stands at 52/100, indicating a neutral sentiment among investors.

📊 Bitcoin Relative Strength Index (RSI) (14)

The 14-day RSI for BTC is approximately 40, in neutral territory.

Data is accurate as at 07:55 GMT, 05 August.

Newsmaker

Spot-crypto contracts could soon trade on registered futures exchanges in the US

The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission is exploring whether to allow trading of spot crypto asset contracts, contracts closely tied to the current price of an underlying crypto asset, on futures exchanges registered under the CFTC, known as Designated Contract Markets (DCMs), according to The Block.

It’s not spot trading as you see on regular crypto exchanges. These would be listed contracts that settle in or mirror the spot price, traded under commodities rules within DCMs.
Stakeholder feedback is open until August 18 to refine how these digital asset contracts should be structured and traded under CFTC rules

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128

Ethereum within $200 of ATH, Solana surges, and the latest inflation numbers from US

🌍 Total crypto market cap ↗️

🟠 Bitcoin (BTC) ↗️

📈 S&P 500 ↗️

📈 Nasdaq 100 ↗️

🥳 Fear & Greed Index

📊 Bitcoin Relative Strength Index (RSI) (14)

Newsmaker

US inflation comes in stable, in line with investor expectations

Top movers over 24 hours

🌍 Total crypto market cap ↘️

🟠 Bitcoin (BTC) ↘️

📈 S&P 500 ↘️

📈 Nasdaq 100 ↘️

🥳 Fear & Greed Index

📊 Bitcoin Relative Strength Index (RSI) (14)

Newsmaker

Spot ETH ETFs see biggest day of inflows on record

Top movers over 24 hours

🌍 Total crypto market cap ↗️

🟠 Bitcoin (BTC) ↗️

📈 S&P 500 ↗️

🥳 Fear & Greed Index

📊 Bitcoin Relative Strength Index (RSI) (14)

Top movers over 24 hours

🌍 Total crypto market cap ↗️

🟠 Bitcoin (BTC) ↗️

📈 S&P 500 ↘️

🥳 Fear & Greed Index

📊 Bitcoin Relative Strength Index (RSI) (14)

Newsmaker

Trump plans to allow crypto into pension plans

Top movers over 24 hours

🌍 Total crypto market cap ↗️

🟠 Bitcoin (BTC) ↗️

📈 S&P 500 ↗️

🥳 Fear & Greed Index

📊 Bitcoin Relative Strength Index (RSI) (14)

Newsmaker

ETH treasury momentum continues

Top movers over 24 hours

🌍 Total crypto market cap ↘️

🟠 Bitcoin (BTC) ↘️

📈 S&P 500 ↘️

🥳 Fear & Greed Index

📊 Bitcoin Relative Strength Index (RSI) (14)

Newsmaker

US state tripled exposure to BTC, filing shows

Top movers over 24 hours

🌍 Total crypto market cap ↗️

🟠 Bitcoin (BTC) ↘️

📈 S&P 500 ↗️

😐 Fear & Greed Index

📊 Bitcoin Relative Strength Index (RSI) (14)

Newsmaker

Spot-crypto contracts could soon trade on registered futures exchanges in the US

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