Crypto markets saw a mix of euphoria and panic this week, as projects like HASH soared while BEAT fell off a cliff. Meanwhile, Monero made a surprising comeback, and social media narratives swung strongly in favor of altseason. Let’s dig into the action with sharp analysis and sharper wit.
HASH surges on infrastructure rumors. ZORA and KAS grab hold of the altcoin narrative. BEAT collapses amid failed hype and alleged insider selling. Privacy coins find renewed relevance with XMR’s comeback.
Leading the charge this week is HASH, notching an impressive 8.29% gain and making some noise in what’s otherwise been a largely sideways market. While volumes were modest, whispers of upcoming layer-1 infrastructure upgrades—possibly EVM compatibility enhancements—have started to filter through CT (Crypto Twitter). The chatter seems speculative, but in crypto, rumors often trail rallies, not precede them.
Another potential catalyst? A viral thread speculating on HASH integrating with a new real-world assets (RWA) protocol. If confirmed, this would align with growing institutional focus on tokenizing tangible assets into smart contracts—a theme gaining real traction lately.
Second and third place in the winner’s seat go to KAS (+6.67%) and ZORA (+6.43%). KAS has emerged as a crowd favorite lately, thanks to consistent dev updates and its prolific layer-1 narrative—speed, scalability, and a fresh mining algorithm. Social media sentiment is warm, with mentions up 12% week-over-week.
ZORA, which many discounted as a niche NFT platform only a few months ago, seems to be reinventing itself as a DAO-driven content layer for Web3 creators. Their recent hackathon buzz and partnerships with digital art collectives have caught fire on social, and that momentum is translating into price action.
If you thought privacy coins were dead, think again. Monero (XMR) quietly added 6.22% this week, the latest in a series of stealth moves (pun absolutely intended). The rebound follows increased chatter about surveillance concerns around popular stablecoins and CBDCs globally—triggers that always feed XMR's narrative. Discussions around privacy-preserving DeFi protocols might be giving XMR renewed legitimacy as a parallel asset in the ecosystem.
Crypto’s not just a land of moonshots—it’s also a graveyard of hype cycles, and BEAT is this week’s cautionary tale. Down a brutal 44.4%, rumors ran wild after insiders allegedly offloaded large holdings into euphoric buyers post a 'partnership' tease that never formalized. The token’s liquidity was already thin, and the subsequent cascade spiraled fast, spooking even degens.
Trust—or the sudden, communal collapse of it—remains the ultimate currency in crypto. BEAT’s saga is a reminder: fundamentals matter, but community sentiment trumps fundamentals in a reflexive market.
The red side of the board was as dramatic as the green. LGCT fell 17.8%, likely due to an unconfirmed exploit tied to a sidechain bridge. UDS (-12.5%) saw huge outflows as one of its whale wallets moved funds to Binance, sending panic through Telegram forums late Sunday. Meanwhile, NIZA and MERL slid double-digits, with nothing more than rumors and a lack of any tangible news driving the selloffs. In crypto, often no news is bad news.
This week’s dominant social flavor? “Consolidation season.” With BTC hovering around $41,200 and ETH finding comfort above $2,200, traders seem split between accumulating and waiting for clearer policy signals going into Q1 2026. But influencers are far from quiet.
Accounts like @Trader_Anka and @0xNomad have revived the altseason narrative, pointing to relative outperformance of smaller caps and the compression of BTC dominance. Meanwhile, VC-focused accounts are pushing an uptick in RWA protocols and early-stage AI token launches—two of the few verticals still attracting fresh capital during this malaise.
The macro environment continues to loom in the background, but on-chain resilience is evident. Given the spike in stablecoin velocity and a slight uptick in DEX volumes, appetite for risk hasn't completely dried up—it’s just more selective, more cautious, and arguably, more mature than last cycle.
Next week brings several potentially catalysts: the ETH ETF hearing preview notes (which always ripple through the ecosystem), a Solana validator update, and fresh funding rounds for emerging DePIN protocols. Expect price action to skew toward narratives, not just charts.
Leading the charge this week is HASH, notching an impressive 8.29% gain and making some noise in what’s otherwise been a largely sideways market. While volumes were modest, whispers of upcoming layer-1 infrastructure upgrades—possibly EVM compatibility enhancements—have started to filter through CT (Crypto Twitter). The chatter seems speculative, but in crypto, rumors often trail rallies, not precede them.
Another potential catalyst? A viral thread speculating on HASH integrating with a new real-world assets (RWA) protocol. If confirmed, this would align with growing institutional focus on tokenizing tangible assets into smart contracts—a theme gaining real traction lately.
Second and third place in the winner’s seat go to KAS (+6.67%) and ZORA (+6.43%). KAS has emerged as a crowd favorite lately, thanks to consistent dev updates and its prolific layer-1 narrative—speed, scalability, and a fresh mining algorithm. Social media sentiment is warm, with mentions up 12% week-over-week.
ZORA, which many discounted as a niche NFT platform only a few months ago, seems to be reinventing itself as a DAO-driven content layer for Web3 creators. Their recent hackathon buzz and partnerships with digital art collectives have caught fire on social, and that momentum is translating into price action.
If you thought privacy coins were dead, think again. Monero (XMR) quietly added 6.22% this week, the latest in a series of stealth moves (pun absolutely intended). The rebound follows increased chatter about surveillance concerns around popular stablecoins and CBDCs globally—triggers that always feed XMR's narrative. Discussions around privacy-preserving DeFi protocols might be giving XMR renewed legitimacy as a parallel asset in the ecosystem.
Crypto’s not just a land of moonshots—it’s also a graveyard of hype cycles, and BEAT is this week’s cautionary tale. Down a brutal 44.4%, rumors ran wild after insiders allegedly offloaded large holdings into euphoric buyers post a 'partnership' tease that never formalized. The token’s liquidity was already thin, and the subsequent cascade spiraled fast, spooking even degens.
Trust—or the sudden, communal collapse of it—remains the ultimate currency in crypto. BEAT’s saga is a reminder: fundamentals matter, but community sentiment trumps fundamentals in a reflexive market.
The red side of the board was as dramatic as the green. LGCT fell 17.8%, likely due to an unconfirmed exploit tied to a sidechain bridge. UDS (-12.5%) saw huge outflows as one of its whale wallets moved funds to Binance, sending panic through Telegram forums late Sunday. Meanwhile, NIZA and MERL slid double-digits, with nothing more than rumors and a lack of any tangible news driving the selloffs. In crypto, often no news is bad news.
This week’s dominant social flavor? “Consolidation season.” With BTC hovering around $41,200 and ETH finding comfort above $2,200, traders seem split between accumulating and waiting for clearer policy signals going into Q1 2026. But influencers are far from quiet.
Accounts like @Trader_Anka and @0xNomad have revived the altseason narrative, pointing to relative outperformance of smaller caps and the compression of BTC dominance. Meanwhile, VC-focused accounts are pushing an uptick in RWA protocols and early-stage AI token launches—two of the few verticals still attracting fresh capital during this malaise.
The macro environment continues to loom in the background, but on-chain resilience is evident. Given the spike in stablecoin velocity and a slight uptick in DEX volumes, appetite for risk hasn't completely dried up—it’s just more selective, more cautious, and arguably, more mature than last cycle.
Next week brings several potentially catalysts: the ETH ETF hearing preview notes (which always ripple through the ecosystem), a Solana validator update, and fresh funding rounds for emerging DePIN protocols. Expect price action to skew toward narratives, not just charts.
BEAT’s 44% drop highlights the danger of overhyped tokens with anchorless community trust. Meanwhile, the rise of ZORA and renewed interest in XMR suggest that overlooked narratives are gaining serious traction.
Watch social sentiment metrics like Twitter mentions and Telegram chatter on lesser-known tokens. They often precede strong moves, especially in small-cap breakouts.
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