The overall picture of wins and losses in the crypto market last week: AERO, LDO, XMR, TON lead the spotlight.

Bitcoin (BTC) continues to hold a "wait and see" position throughout the past week, but the altcoin picture is completely contrarian – vibrant, dramatic, and full of fluctuations.

While the "leading" altcoin group such as Ethereum (ETH), XRP, Solana (SOL) and Cardano (ADA) all recorded double-digit increases, in another corner of the market, lesser-known tokens unexpectedly made spectacular breakthroughs... or free falls.

Let’s take a look at the overall picture of the biggest "bright stars" and "fallen ones" this week.

The big winners of the week

Aerodrome Finance (AERO) – Increased by 56% this week

Aerodrome Finance (AERO) continues its breakout momentum, surging from below $0.80 to a peak of over $1.25 before slightly retreating to $1.17.

The relentless upward trend has pushed the RSI index up to the overbought zone at 70.9, while the momentum on the MACD remains strong. The price of AERO continues to hold above both the 9-day EMA and the 21-day EMA – a signal indicating that the short-term support zone remains solid, despite the pullback during the session.

Daily chart of TON/USDT | Source: TradingViewThis rally concludes a week of vigorous trading, with explosive volume. The optimistic sentiment is further bolstered after the DEX trading feature of Aerodrome officially launched on the Coinbase app in the US – a move that analysts believe could channel a significant amount of orders to this platform.

A user X humorously commented: "If you have noticed, this is not new news. If not, then it is still not too late."

Mantle (MNT) accelerates thanks to network advancements

Mantle (MNT) has surged strongly, increasing by up to 51.99% in just seven days, from around $0.68 to over $1.05 before easing slightly to $1.02. The impressive green candle at the beginning of the week pushed the price to a peak near $1.10, opening up a distinct phase of excitement in the market.

Although there is a slight adjustment today, MNT still maintains its position in the breakout zone – a signal indicating that the bulls have not lost their advantage. If the buying force continues to sustain, the price could completely return to challenge the old peak, with the level of $1.15 playing an important resistance role.

The uptrend becomes even more solid as Mantle welcomes the new CEO and Head of Spot Trading from Bybit to the team as an advisor, significantly increasing the project's credibility. With $1.15 in sight, the bulls still have plenty of opportunities to reach new heights.

Lido DAO (LDO) increases nearly 47% ahead of an important update

Lido DAO (LDO) has had a booming trading week, increasing by up to 46.8% from the $0.87 range to a peak of nearly $1.47, before closing the week at $1.43. The consecutive green candles along with the breakout trading volume indicate overwhelming buying pressure and strong confidence from the bulls.

Although profit-taking pressure has begun to appear today, the upward trend still maintains its momentum. All eyes are currently on August 14th, when Lido Labs will hold its first Tokenholder Update Call to announce the roadmap, strategic priorities, and long-term direction for LDO – an event that is expected to continue nurturing the bullish sentiment in the market.

Other notable names

MYX Finance (MYX) has become the center of attention by leading the top-1000 according to CoinGecko data, surging an astonishing 1,323.8% to $1.64, with a trading volume of nearly 50 million USD. Loan Protocol (LOAN) is not far behind, climbing 253.1% to $0.002673. Meanwhile, SOON (SOON) jumped 238% to $0.5034, supported by 399.9 million USD in trades.

These numbers show that the "fire" of speculation is still blazing in the cryptocurrency market.

The Losers of the Week

Monero (XMR) slips under selling pressure

Since the beginning of August, Monero (XMR) has experienced a series of consecutive days of decline, sliding from above $300 down to just $270.92. The period of August 5–7 witnessed the most significant drop, as consecutive red candles broke through multiple important support levels. On August 8, the market saw a slight rebound, but the weak buying pressure was quickly overwhelmed, pushing the price back into a downtrend.

If the negative trend does not end soon, XMR risks retreating to the $264–$260 range.

XMR/USDT daily chart | Source: TradingViewThe selling pressure is not only coming from technical factors. The wave of concern over the risk of centralization is rising as the mining farm of Qubic (QUBIC) – a layer 1 blockchain – currently holds over 40% of the hashrate of XMR. This raises fears of a potential takeover, directly threatening the integrity and decentralization that is the "heart" of the network.

This smoldering "conflict" is eroding investor confidence, becoming a significant catalyst that has caused the price of XMR to decline since the beginning of August.

Toncoin (TON) decreases despite the boost from Telegram

Toncoin (TON) recorded a decrease of 10.38% in the past week, as selling pressure dominated right from the early days of August. The price slid from above $3.60 down to around $3.32. The CMF indicator continues to remain in the negative zone, while the RSI hovers near the neutral threshold – clearly reflecting the weakening of bullish momentum.

Daily TON/USDT chart | Source: TradingViewA rare bright spot appeared on August 9, when Telegram confirmed it would intensify the integration of blockchain technology. This news ignited buying power, helping TON surge 1.75% and break out of a prolonged accumulation phase. However, the rapid recovery quickly "ran out of steam" as the bears regained dominance by the weekend.

XDC Network extends the downtrend with new losses

XDC Network (XDC) continues to decline throughout the past week, sliding from the $0.093 mark at the beginning of August down to about $0.088 on August 11 – equivalent to a decrease of more than 5%.

After a brief lull mid-week, selling pressure quickly returned, pulling the token price down to its lowest level in nearly two weeks. Notably, the deepest drop occurred today when XDC lost nearly 3%, reflecting the ongoing weakening trend and extremely limited buying power.

In the context of the absence of clear reversal signals, the short-term trend of XDC is likely still leaning towards a bearish scenario.

Other tokens that have dropped significantly

Graphite Protocol (GP) marked the sharpest plunge, losing up to 48.6% of its value, dropping to $1.60, although it still recorded an impressive trading volume of 14.1 million USD.

Infinitar Governance Token (IGT) also could not escape the negative trend, decreasing by 18.4% to $0.115. Meanwhile, Blackhole (BLACK) lost 16.7%, standing at $0.7265, but led the group in liquidity with a trading volume of 19.78 million USD.

Conclusion

Last week, the market experienced a wide range of fluctuations – from intense volatility, sudden sell-offs, to moments of rare opportunity. The pace of fluctuations has not yet calmed down, requiring investors to keep a cool head, analyze data thoroughly, and make decisions strategically.

SN_Nour