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Meme Coin Rollercoaster: PEPE Explodes 22% as HYPE Crashes 5% in Wild 24-Hour Session

Meme Coin Rollercoaster: PEPE Explodes 22% as HYPE Crashes 5% in Wild 24-Hour Session

Published:
2026-01-02 05:00:00
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Frogs fly while clowns cry—the meme coin circus delivers another chaotic performance.

### The Green-Faced Juggernaut

One amphibian-themed token defied gravity with a jaw-dropping surge, posting gains that left traditional assets in the dust. The 22% rocket ride showcases the raw, speculative power still pulsing through crypto's altcoin veins. No fundamental news, no major partnership—just pure, unadulterated market momentum catching fire.

### The Deflating Balloon

Meanwhile, another crowd-favorite stumbled hard. A sharp 5% correction sliced through its valuation, a reminder that what the crowd hypes up, it can also abandon. The slide highlights the fickle loyalty in a sector where narratives shift faster than blockchain confirmations. It's the classic crypto seesaw—for every winner cheering, there's a bag-holder staring at a red chart.

### The Bigger Picture

This 24-hour snapshot isn't just about two tokens. It's a microcosm of the high-stakes casino that altcoin trading has become—where liquidity follows memes, and 'fundamentals' are often just a good tweet thread. While Wall Street naps over its quarterly reports, crypto markets are rewriting the playbook on volatility and community-driven price action. One thing's certain: in the race for attention, even a frog can outpace the so-called 'serious' projects. Just don't ask your traditional financial advisor to explain it—they're still trying to figure out what a 'block' is.

Major Crypto  Events Today

Major Crypto  Events Today

Source: Forex Factory

24-Hour Crypto Market Update: Prices, Volume & Trends

The global cryptocurrency market today recorded a capitalization of $3.08 trillion, reflecting a 0.9% positive change in the last 24 hours. Total trading volume noted $64 billion.

Bitcoin’s (BTC) dominance over the industry remains intense, with 57.3%, while ethereum (ETH) carries 11.7%. As of now, 19980 cryptocurrencies are being tracked. The largest gainers of the industry are Polkadot and XRP Ledger Ecosystem in the last 24 hours.

Note: BTC and ETH are often viewed as less volatile historically, but still risky. 

  • Bitcoin (BTC) price today reached $88603.49, rose by 0.96% in the last 24 hours, with a trading volume of $19.24 billion and a market cap of $1.76 trillion.

  • Image title

    Ethereum (ETH) priced today sits at $2998.51, slightly up 0.69% in 24 hours, with a trading volume of $10.33 billion and a market cap of $361.98 billion.

Ethereum (ETH) priced today

(Trending data is based on a combination of 24-hour price movement, trading volume, and CoinMarketCap.com trending metrics.)

  • Pepe (PEPE) is trading at $0.054941, rising 22.3%, alongside a trading volume (TV) of $579.87M.

  • Starpower (STAR) is valued at $0.1186, up 2.99%, with $473.32M traded.

  • Dogecoin (DOGE) is trading at $0.1266, gaining 7.28%, with a massive trading activity of $1.31B.

  • Falcon Finance (FF) is priced at $0.09000, up 4.71%, recording $112.35M in TV.

  • Filecoin (FIL) is trading at $1.48, rising 14.46%, with a TV of $295.79M.

(Ranked by 24-hour percentage gain)

  • Pepe (PEPE) at $0.054948, up 22.43%, with a strong trading activity of $579.13 million.

  • Story (IP) at $2.03, gaining 20.35%, supported by TV of $203.51 million

  • Aerodrome Finance (AERO) is at $0.4738, rising 17.04%, with a TV of $43.82 million.

(Ranked by 24-hour percentage loss)

  • Hyperliquid (HYPE) at $24.44, down 5.49%, with a strong trading volume of $218.6 million.

  • Canton (CC) at $0.1522, declining 5.03%, while posting a trading activity of $71.6 million.

  • Monero (XMR) at $415.46, falling 3.43%, with daily trading volume close to $53.7 million..

  • Stablecoins noted a 0.1% negative change over the past 24 hours, with a market capitalization of $310.8 billion and trading volume of $46.6 billion.

  • The Decentralized Finance (DeFi) market surged 2.1% over the last 24 hours, recording a market cap of $105 billion and total value locked (TVL) at $3.35 billion. Defi dominance globally marked 3.4%.

(TVL refers to the total crypto assets locked in DeFi protocols.)

Fear and Greed Index Today

Fear and Greed Index Today

Source: Alternative Me

The current Fear and Greed Index is 28 (Fear), compared to 20 (Extreme Fear) on both the previous day and last week. This increase is an indication of weak sentiment recovery, probably due to the temporary stabilization of prices. Nevertheless, the macro uncertainty and poor volumes remain constant to keep the fear prevailing. Compared to last month’s 28, sentiment remains unchanged overall.

Latest Crypto Market News Today, 2 January

(Note: All of these updates affect traders, as they affect liquidity,  sentiment, and potential returns, and thus have to be monitored closely.)

Iran’s defence export agency Mindex proposed accepting cryptocurrency for selling missiles, drones, and warships, alongside barter and rial payments, claiming arms clients across 35 countries.

Lighter clarified its airdrop points are mostly non-trading, with under 10% tied to partners, while reports confirm Jump Crypto market-making received 0.93% of LIT supply during the early platform development phase.

Hyperliquid (HYPE) founder Jeff said the platform prioritizes integrity and neutrality, with no private investors, no market Maker privileges, zero protocol fees, and genesis tokens allocated to early users, verifiable on-chain.

ZachXBT monitoring shows hundreds of EVM wallets are being quietly drained, each losing under $2,000, with an unknown cause, totaling $107,000 so far and rising across multiple chains globally.

A dormant entity unstaked 631,900 HYPE worth $20.3M via three wallets in three days, 14–15% holdings, bought post-TGE using Tornado Cash funds after over a year idle.

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said Coinbase matches Robinhood’s retail features, plans futures trading, stock integration, broader crypto support, and positions Base App as an independent social trading experiment.

Comparative Insight

Compared to yesterday’s extreme fear, today’s sentiment shows slight improvement as prices stabilize. Nevertheless, volumes are average, and profits are selective, compared to last month when the mood and involvement were also reserved.

What This Means for Crypto Users

Cryptocurrency users are advised to anticipate volatile movements within a short period of time, with selective opportunities in trending coins. Although the market is becoming more stable, there are security threats, whale migration, and political issues to consider. It is still necessary to monitor volume, dominance, and sentiment indicators to make informed decisions.

Risk Context: This commentary is only informational and not for long-term conditions. It does not indicate the direction of the price or indicate an action to be taken on the investment.

CoinGabbar’s Opinion

The industry that is available is moderately good but risky. Volatility in trending assets can be an advantage for short-term traders, whereas long-term investors need to be careful. The sentiment of fear, security threats, and macro uncertainty implies that disciplined risk management and selective exposure are important.

Disclaimer: This is not financial advice. Do Your Own Research before investing. CoinGabbar is not liable for any financial loss. The crypto assets are risky, and you may lose all your investments. Not all regions can offer some of the services or assets discussed.

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