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Dogecoin Dives 8%, Pepe Down 12% in Weekend Crypto Sell-Off
Altcoins took a beating as traders digested renewed U.S.-China tariff tensions, Bitcoin whale sell-offs, and a broader risk-off mood.
May 31, 2025, 9:01 a.m.
What to know:
- Cryptocurrencies experienced significant losses over the weekend, with Dogecoin dropping over 8% and Pepe falling 12%.
- Bitcoin's price fell over 2%, trading just above $103,600, while the CoinDesk 20 index decreased by 4.2%.
- Analysts link the downturn to renewed U.S.-China trade tensions, with market volatility expected to continue.
Cryptocurrencies started the weekend in red with down over 8% to lead losses among majors and Pepe (PEPE) shedding 12%.
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Bitcoin fell over 2% to under $104,000 and traded just over $103,600 in Asian afternoon hours Saturday, while the CoinDesk 20 index slumped 4.2% in the past 24 hours.
Ether fell nearly 4%, , BNB Chain , Cardano’s ADA and Solana’s SOL showed losses between 2-5%. Cronos Network’s CRO was the only gainer in the top 100 tokens with a 12% on no immediate catalyst.
Analysts attributed the downturn to renewed U.S.-China trade tensions.
"Markets went red on Friday on renewed tariff-related apprehensions," said Alex Kuptsikevich, chief market analyst at FxPro, told CoinDesk in an email. “President Trump accused China on social media of violating the recent trade truce, while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent admitted in an interview that talks with Beijing had stalled.”
The derivatives market also pointed to increasing investor caution. Open interest in Bitcoin futures is up 51% since April, while options have ballooned by 126%, according to data from Deribit.
Whale wallets, which had been accumulating Bitcoin throughout the year, recently shifted to net selling, sending coins back to exchanges — a classic sign of profit-taking.
"Bitcoin’s local support looks solid around $103K for the coming days," Kuptsikevich said. However, with tariff headlines rattling markets and whales taking risk off, traders are bracing for more volatility, he added.
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KuCoin captured a record share of centralised exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the wider crypto market.
What to know:
- KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025, equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month, marking its strongest year on record.
- This performance translated into an all-time high share of centralised exchange volume, as KuCoin’s activity expanded faster than aggregate CEX volumes, which slowed during periods of lower market volatility.
- Spot and derivatives volumes were evenly split, each exceeding $500 billion for the year, signalling broad-based usage rather than reliance on a single product line.
- Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activity, reinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover.
- Even as overall crypto volumes softened mid-year, KuCoin maintained elevated baseline activity, indicating structurally higher user engagement rather than short-lived volume spikes.
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Internet Computer climbs back to $3 as short-term momentum improves
ICP pushed above the $3 level on rising activity, holding recent gains as traders reassess near-term direction.
What to know:
- ICP rose about 2.7% to roughly $3.00, reclaiming a closely watched psychological level.
- Trading activity increased during the move higher, accompanying the push through resistance near $2.95–$3.00.
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