Crypto market’s weekly winners and losers – VIRTUAL, ZEC, CAKE, IP

Key Takeaways

Which crypto tokens were the highest gainers this week?

Humanity Protocol [H], Virtuals Protocol [VIRTAUL], Zcash [ZEC] led the week in gains.

Which crypto tokens lost the most this week?

PancakeSwap [CAKE], Story [IP], Mantle [MNT] saw significant declines.

This week, the crypto market saw a moderate rebound. 

Bitcoin [BTC] reclaimed $111k after softer-than-expected U.S. inflation data. Meanwhile, Ripple [XRP] led the top-cap gains with a 10%+ rally. Despite this optimism, capital continued to rotate across utility assets.

Weekly winners

Humanity Protocol [H] — Verification platform proved the bears wrong

Humanity Protocol [H] has topped this week’s gainers chart with a 110% rally, pushing it to an ATH of $0.40. However, unlike a typical hype cycle, this surge was driven by a strategic partnership between H and Sui [SUI].

The partnership aims to scale H’s user base from 10 million to 100 million by tapping into Sui’s high-throughput chain.

A massive buying frenzy followed, indicating that H’s rally was supported by strong trading volume.

That said, as AMBCrypto flagged, H’s Open Interest (OI) jumped 165%, which set up the perfect conditions for a long squeeze. Sure enough, by week’s end, H saw a 20% pullback as overleveraged longs got flushed out.

Source: TradingView (H/USDT)

However, does this confirm a bearish setup?

Given how strong H’s fundamentals and roadmap look, this dip feels more like a healthy cooldown than a top signal. Once the bulls finish reloading, a clean breakout above $0.40 looks like it’s just a matter of time.

Virtuals Protocol [VIRTAUL] — Web3 project triggered much-needed FOMO

Virtuals Protocol [VIRTUAL] ranked second among this week’s top gainers, clocking a 50% move off its $0.79 base.

The rally helped VIRTUAL reclaim the psychological $1 level, which it had previously lost in early September.

Still, AMBCrypto remains cautious about the bullish setup here. 

On-chain data shows liquidity clustering just above current price levels, hinting at a possible bull trap forming. To flip this bias and confirm real strength, VIRTUAL needs to clear and hold above the $1.50 resistance.

However, VIRTUAL is trading about 8% lower intraday, signaling that sell pressure is starting to kick in. With momentum cooling, a breakout past $1.50 seems unlikely, making VIRTUAL a high-risk setup.

Zcash [ZEC] — Privacy token reaffirmed its bullish frenzy

Zcash [ZEC] grabbed the third spot with a 30% move, extending the strong upside momentum it’s carried through most of October. A quick look at the weekly chart shows steady bid pressure and solid bullish conviction.

After ZEC’s 200%+ rally earlier this month, the altcoins saw a mid-October pullback of around 10%, which triggered talk that it might’ve topped out near the $300 resistance, especially with the RSI flashing overexertion.

But this week’s 30% push back to $320 flipped that narrative fast. 

The move confirmed momentum continuation, with bulls defending higher lows. As long as ZEC holds above the $280–$290 support zone, the chart still favors trend continuation over a full reversal.

Other notable winners

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

Tokenbot [CLANKER] led the charge with a 300% surge, followed by Ore [ORE], which jumped 245%, and EVAA Protocol [EVAA] rallying 185% to round out the leaderboard.

Weekly losers

PancakeSwap [CAKE] — Exchange token on BSC neared a key support

PancakeSwap [CAKE] topped this week’s losers list, sliding 7% from its $2.89 open. Notably, this follows a 15% dip last week, suggesting bulls are largely sidelined and not defending key levels.

Against this backdrop, CAKE is now approaching the $2.50 support zone, a level it hasn’t broken below since March.

Historically, each test of this zone has triggered a rebound, but the recent recoveries have been short-lived.

For CAKE to ignite FOMO and momentum back to the upside, a break above $3 will be crucial, as it would signal buyers regaining control and potentially trigger stop runs on shorts.

Source: TradingView (CAKE/USDT)

However, the lack of follow-through after each rebound reinforces an unsustainable market structure, with bulls driving rallies primarily for speculative interest rather than long-term spot flows. 

This makes a breakout past $3 unlikely in the near term.

In this context, CAKE is likely to remain range-bound unless it can flip $2.70 into support to trigger a rebound toward the $3 resistance, allowing FOMO to kick in and potentially fuel a bullish continuation.

Story [IP] — Platform token remains caught in bear control

Story [IP] emerged as the second-biggest weekly loser, slipping 5% from its $5.40 open. October has been a rough month, marking IP’s worst monthly performance with a 41% drop, with bulls failing to defend key support.

In October alone, IP has posted three lower weekly lows, retracing all the way back to mid-August price levels. This signals that sellers are offloading positions and locking in profits from the mid-September peak of $15.

In turn, keeping momentum squarely in the bears’ favor.

The absence of meaningful bid support leaves IP vulnerable to a fourth lower low next week. To stabilize the market, bulls must defend the $3–$4 support zone, which now serves as the critical level for a rebound.

Mantle [MNT] — Blockchain project token faced weak bid support

Mantle [MNT] came in third this week, slipping 5% from its $1.80 open. The weekly chart shows a clear bearish bias, with on-chain metrics pointing to limited accumulation since MNT peaked at $2.80 in early October.

On the upside, MNT is approaching a key $1.50 support zone, which historically sparked a 51% rally back in September. This makes it a critical level for bulls to defend if they want to flip monthly losses into gains.

However, on-chain signals are mixed.

With the current bearish momentum, a break below $1.50 looks increasingly likely in the near term, making it a level traders are watching closely for either a bounce or breakdown.

Other notable losers

In the broader market, downside volatility hit hard.

BNB Attestation Service (BAS) led the losers with an 81% drop, followed by Saros (SAROS) down 51%, and Lorenzo Protocol (BANK), 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.