Ethereum News Today: Meme Tokens REKT and PENGU Jump 9% and 18% as Ethereum ETF Inflows Hit $534M, Defying Broader Crypto Slump

Meme tokens REKT and PENGU surged to multi-year highs amid a broader crypto market downturn, with REKT rising 9% and PENGU jumping 18% on the week, outpacing traditional cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and BNB [3]. The rally, fueled by social media speculation and a surge in Ethereum ETF inflows, occurred despite a 2.09% drop in Ethereum’s price to $3,637.49 and a 0.5% decline in Bitcoin’s value [3]. Record Ethereum ETF inflows of $534 million were reported, marking renewed institutional interest in the asset class [4].

The performance of REKT and PENGU highlights a divergence from broader market trends, where assets like XRP fell 5.36% and Bitcoin declined 0.5% over the same period [3]. Analysts attributed the meme token gains to community-driven hype on platforms like Reddit and Twitter, which amplified speculative demand [3]. Meanwhile, Ethereum’s ETF inflows exceeded $8.32 billion in cumulative totals, with total assets reaching $19.85 billion, representing 4.44% of Ethereum’s market capitalization [5]. This trend coincided with Coinbase expanding perpetuals trading, signaling growing institutional adoption of Ethereum derivatives [6].

BNB demonstrated relative resilience, rising 0.22% to $770.57 despite broader volatility [1]. The token’s performance underscored its role as a liquidity hub in decentralized finance (DeFi), though it remains sensitive to Ethereum’s price movements. In contrast, meme tokens like REKT and PENGU faced heightened scrutiny due to their volatility. Analysts from AInvest warned that such assets remain prone to rapid corrections, citing a 16.7% market-wide decline over the past month [3].

The divergent performances reflect the crypto market’s polarization between speculative narratives and traditional assets. While Ethereum ETF inflows and institutional adoption provided short-term optimism, the long-term sustainability of meme token gains remains uncertain. Investors are advised to monitor social media sentiment and ETF flows as key indicators of market direction.

Source: [1] Decrypt. PENGU & REKT ALL TIME HIGHS, HUGE ETH ETF INFLOWS, BNB OUTPERFORMS MARKET https://decrypt.co/videos/interviews/XAHTPO8c/pengu-rekt-all-time-highs-huge-eth-etf-inflows-bnb-outperforms-market [2] Decrypt. Coin Prices https://decrypt.co/ [3] AInvest. Ethereum ETFs See $534M Inflows, Bitcoin Slumps 0.5% https://www.ainvest.com/news/ethereum-news-today-bnb-surges-22-defi-institutional-adoption-ethereum-etfs-534m-inflows-bitcoin-slumps-0-5-2507/ [4] Reddit. Spot Ethereum ETFs Notch $533 Million in Daily Inflows https://www.reddit.com/r/ethtrader/comments/1m77sue/spot_ethereum_etfs_notch_533_million_in_daily/ [5] CoinGecko. XRP to NOK: XRP Price in Norwegian Krone https://www.coingecko.com/en/coins/xrp/nok [6] CoinStats. Coinbase Follows Kraken's Lead, Opens Perpetuals https://coinstats.app/news/143bd5b5af73ccb72ee3bc7c6a859ccf5f459d084706659a47d919da39f63db1_Square-Begins-Rollout-of-Bitcoin-Payments-for-Sellers-Targets-Full-Availability-by-2026