Ether leads crypto's hold above key levels as bitcoin steadies over $63,000
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- Ether led major cryptocurrencies with a 12.4% weekly gain to about $1,777, outpacing bitcoin and other majors as crypto held firm despite a stalling AI/chip-driven stock rally.
- Bitcoin traded around $63,207, up 5.5% over seven days and above the $63,000 level, reclaiming its late-June losses and hitting its highest in more than a month.
- Solana rose 11.2% over the week to $80.77, while Hyperliquid's HYPE led all majors at up 14.6%; BNB, dogecoin, and XRP posted weekly gains between 5.5% and 9.4%.
- Crypto held firm while AI and semiconductor shares stalled, breaking the quarter-long pattern in which capital rotated out of tokens and into chip stocks—South Korea's Kospi fell 1.4% as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix declined.
- Brent crude fell 0.6% to about $71.70 a barrel, easing some inflation pressure ahead of U.S. price data due later this month.
- The dollar strengthened against all major peers, a headwind for crypto that has tracked the currency's moves through the past quarter, leaving traders without a clear catalyst to push prices higher.
Why it matters: Bitcoin's hold above $63,000 is the first sign that crypto's recent pattern of bleeding into AI/chip stocks may be breaking—the article explicitly flags this as the shift worth watching. With the dollar strengthening and U.S. inflation data still ahead, the next leg depends on whether majors hold up when U.S. trading returns to full volume this week.
