Crypto’s Weekly Winners & Losers: CRO, IP, PENDLE, AERO Lead the Charge

Crypto markets never sleep—here’s who soared and who stumbled this week.

Top Performers Punch Hard

CRO and PENDLE ripped double-digit gains, leaving traditional finance yields in the dust. Meanwhile, IP and AERO shook off the mid-cap blues with aggressive momentum moves.

Not Everything Shines

Even in a bullish tide, some tokens lagged—proof that not every project can ride the wave when volatility strikes.

As always, in crypto, one week’s hero can be the next week’s exit liquidity. Stay sharp.

Key Takeaways

Cronos [CRO], Pyth Network [PYTH], and Story [IP] led the week with sharp price surges. In contrast, Pendle [PENDLE], Aerodrome Finance [AERO], and Lido DAO [LDO] saw significant declines.

The crypto market had a mixed week. 

Macro data set the tone, keeping Bitcoin [BTC] range-bound. ethereum [ETH] also stayed in consolidation, though on-chain signals turned more constructive with $900 million in fresh institutional inflows. 

Meanwhile, rotation into altcoins was selective. A few names held up, but most of the market closed the week in the red.

Weekly winners

Cronos [CRO] — Crypto.com’s native token hit a three-year high

Cronos [CRO] led the week, ripping 85% from its $0.15 open. In fact, it is CRO’s most bullish week yet, with most of the MOVE coming in just three days, showing strong accumulation and buying pressure.

The week started with CRO dipping 1.56% within its range-bound slump below $0.15, a continuation of the Q4 pullback. But a 30.5% pop the next day pushed the price to test $0.20, a key resistance level.

On-chain flows and market chatter suggest this isn’t random. As AMBCrypto reported, Trump’s media company bought 2% of CRO supply, injecting $105 million into the market and fueling the rally.

Source: TradingView (CRO/USDT)

Cronos now faces a key test.

After peaking at $0.38, the altcoin retraced nearly 25% but found a base by week’s end. If support holds, it could set up for a bullish continuation.

Looking ahead, with risk-off sentiment in play and rotation flows shaping up, a break above resistance levels could put CRO back in bullish territory next week.

Pyth Network [PYTH] — Reclaims its Q2 resistance zone

Pyth Network [PYTH] locked the second spot in weekly gainers, up 48% from its $0.12 open. And it wasn’t a fluke. The news of U.S. government use of the Pyth Network for macro datasets drove buying pressure.

Like CRO, PYTH had been coiling below $0.15, but the announcement sparked a 99% spike on the 28th of August, breaking Q2 resistance and hitting $0.25.

Momentum cooled quickly, though. PYTH closed the week up 47%, retracing about half of its gains to $0.18. Now, it’s a question of whether this is just a cooldown or the start of a post-hype retrace. 

A deeper pullback could bring PYTH back to its prior range-bound phase, making on-chain metrics like volume and liquidity flows crucial for gauging the next move.

Story [IP] —  Its longest daily candle 

Story [IP] came third on the weekly leaderboard, rallying 21.5% from its $0.62 open. A key divergence in its price action reinforces IP’s relative strength against peers, which could set the stage for its next leg up.

Unlike hype-driven pumps, IP’s move was supported by fundamentals, particularly its DeFi flows. In under 24 hours, total value locked (TVL) jumped 12% to $25 million, signaling genuine investor engagement.

The result? On the 30th of August, IP pushed nearly 30% to $9.39, printing its longest monthly candle since Q1 and entering price discovery. As a result, a retrace was natural.

However, the pullback to $7 looks like a healthy reset, offering a potential high-conviction entry for the next rally.

Other notable winners

Outside the majors, altcoin rockets stole the spotlight this week.

Austin Capitals (AUX) led the charge with a 186% surge, followed by BNB Attestation Service (BAS), which climbed 135%, and WOLF (WOLF), rallying 113% to round out the leaderboard.

Weekly losers

Pendle [PENDLE] — DeFi protocol erased two weeks of gains 

Pendle [PENDLE] topped the weekly losers, down 17.9% from its $5.90 open, printing its first red weekly candle of the month and signaling an overheated setup.

From a technical perspective, PENDLE shows mixed momentum. 

Since Q1, it’s put in four higher highs, the latest hitting $6.80 in late August. At the same time, it has formed three lower lows since June, indicating some short-term distribution. 

Source: TradingView (PENDLE/USDT)

In fact, this combination of higher highs and higher lows points to consolidation, with traders likely digesting recent gains before the next leg. That means a short-term drawdown could play out. 

That said, the structure suggests Pendle could flip this pullback into a support zone by mid-September, turning the dip into a potential accumulation point ahead of the next leg up.

Aerodrome Finance [AERO] — Bullish streak snapped

Aerodrome Finance [AERO] retraced nearly 19% from its $1.40 open, ending its three-week bullish streak and printing the longest weekly pullback in over five months.

The move came after AERO retested the $1.50 level, marking a key supply zone last touched in Q1, triggering a sharp pullback to $0.40. Bulls ran into overhead resistance here, capping short-term upside.

While a bottom isn’t confirmed yet, the structure sets up a potential short squeeze, and a break above $1.50 could trigger a fresh leg higher if buyers step in.

Lido DAO [LDO] —  Failed to break resistance

Lido DAO [LDO] closed the week as the third-largest loser, down 14% from its $1.40 open. After two weeks of sideways consolidation, this pullback added directional bias, putting sellers in control.

The altcoin printed three lower lows, with each bounce failing into resistance. It is a clear sign that asks are dominating the orderbook and bears remain in control.

Unlike AERO, LDO’s move shows erratic price action, signaling a risk-off sentiment. A rebound off $1.20 WOULD be premature; if this structure holds, LDO could retest $1 before attempting to reclaim the $1.60 supply wall.

Other notable losers

In the broader market, downside volatility hit hard.

WayFinder (PROMPT) led the losers with a 46% drop, followed by Troll (TROLL), down 45%, and Huobi (HT), which slipped 43% as momentum sharply cooled.

Conclusion 

This week was a rollercoaster. Big pumps, sharp dips, and nonstop action. As always, stay sharp, do your own research, and trade smart.