The cryptocurrency market entered 2026 with a strong bullish start, as the CoinMarketCap Top 20 Index closed the week up nearly 5%. Major assets Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) posted gains of approximately 5% and 7%, respectively, setting a positive tone for the new year.
Weekly Winners: MYX Finance (MYX) was the standout performer, surging 77% ahead of its anticipated V2 upgrade, with its price jumping from the mid-$3 range to above $6. Pepe (PEPE) led the memecoin sector with a gain of over 70%, significantly outpacing competitors like Bonk (BONK). World Liberty Financial (WLFI) climbed roughly 22%, breaking out of a tight trading range. Other notable gainers included Toncoin (TON), which rose around 12% following Telegram's U.S. wallet launch, and Canton (CC), which gained 28% amid partnership news with DTCC. Dogecoin (DOGE) also advanced 22%.
Weekly Losers: Uniswap (UNI) struggled, failing to hold above the $6 level and slipping back toward $5.80 support. Hyperliquid (HYPE) moved against the broader market, declining toward $25 after repeated rejections near resistance. Monero (XMR) pulled back to around $420 after being rejected near $450. Tokenized assets like Tether Gold (XAUt) and PAX Gold (PAXG) both fell nearly 5%.
Upcoming Critical Week: The market faces a pivotal week ahead filled with scheduled economic data and altcoin-specific events. Key events include a $26 million token unlock for HYPE developers on January 6, an Ethereum (ETH) blob parameter fork on January 7, and the launch of the privacy-focused Stellar (XLM) testnet on the same day. Major economic indicators, including the U.S. Non-Farm Payrolls and Euro Area CPI, are also due, alongside rumors of a potential announcement regarding the new U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman nominee.
