Today the cryptocurrency market is experiencing active growth. Prices have risen as Ukrainians increasingly use crypto donations to purchase goods, while some Russians are turning to cryptocurrencies to preserve their assets.
Yesterday shares of defense companies climbed after Germany pledged to strengthen its armed forces in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. German contractor Rheinmetall surged (+24.94%). Several American firms in the sector also recorded gains.
Energy stocks were strong as U.S. equities moved higher. Solar companies Enphase Energy (+8.44%) and SolarEdge Technologies (+14.93%) shrugged off concerns about global oil supply, and hydrocarbon explorer Occidental Petroleum Corp also rose (+12.88%).
Markets may react today to the ISM Manufacturing PMI data, which will be released at 17:00 Kyiv time.
Top Cryptocurrencies
Bitcoin jumped roughly 14% and was trading above $43,000 at the time of writing. Ethereum and Cardano both rose about 11%, while XRP gained around 7%.
This week LUNA delivered an exceptional performance. It climbed another 21% today and is up nearly 80% for the week, driven by news of an FTX listing scheduled for today.
Outside the top 10, Wrapped Bitcoin posted one of the biggest gains, up 13%. Avalanche and Cosmos also saw notable increases.
Top Performers
Most cryptocurrencies within the top 100 are rising as well. One of the biggest winners is WAVES, the token of the multi-purpose blockchain platform created by Ukrainian developer Alexander Ivanov. This surge may reflect support for Ukraine—WAVES jumped almost 38% today.
As often happens in crypto, today’s laggards can quickly become winners. THORChain rose 23% today, and NEAR Protocol is also among the leaders with a 22% gain.
Other coins that met bullish expectations include Kadena (+19%), Fantom (+15%), Neo (+16%) and Theta Network (+17%). Many of these had fallen sharply yesterday.
Trending Tokens
Among lesser-known tokens, OBROk posted the largest gain. Launched in 2021 with a limited supply, the OBRok Token team is building a metaverse and Web3 projects focused on renewable energy and aeronautics, as well as offering R&D services in these areas using blockchain technology. OBROk spiked 275% today.
The current price of UMA (Universal Market Access) is $8.33, with a 24-hour trading volume of $462.7 million. UMA jumped 73.45% over the last 24 hours.
Qredo markets itself as an ecosystem reshaping digital-asset custody and blockchain connectivity. Its native token has steadily climbed over recent weeks, and its fully diluted market capitalization rose 28% today.