Crypto Jul 4: BTC near 63K, XRP hits one-month high

Global crypto market on July 4: recovery continues in quiet holiday trading, XRP hits one-month high

On Saturday, July 4, the cryptocurrency market extended its weekend recovery in unusually quiet trading - the US celebrated the 250th anniversary of Independence Day, and traditional financial markets were closed. Bitcoin closed in the green for a third consecutive day, trading around $63,100 (+1.0% on the day) - roughly 8% above the July 1 low of $58,278. The main story of the day, however, was XRP: in thin holiday trading the coin reached its highest level since June 23, supported by steady ETF inflows and the growth of Ripple's RLUSD stablecoin. Sentiment remains cautious - the Fear & Greed Index stayed at 21, still in Extreme Fear territory.

Market overview

Total crypto market capitalization stood at roughly $2.22 trillion on July 4 (+0.2% on the day). The foundation of the recovery was laid on July 2, when US spot Bitcoin ETFs posted $223.5 million of net inflows - the largest single-day inflow in the past 30 days, snapping a 10-day outflow streak. The rebound was amplified by a short squeeze: Bitcoin liquidations reached about $51.6 million over 24 hours, 90% of them short positions.

Macro also provided a boost: June US labor market data came in weaker than expected, reducing the odds of further Fed rate hikes. The bigger picture remains fragile, though - the 30-day ETF balance is still deeply negative (about -$6.27 billion), and the Fear & Greed Index has not risen above 25 for a full month. Analysts note that a price recovery against such persistent pessimism is a classic sign of a capitulation-driven bounce, and the decisive factor will be whether ETF inflows continue next week.

Top 15 coins on July 4

Most top coins ended the week in the green. XRP, Cardano and Zcash stood out, while Solana paused after a strong week.

1. Bitcoin (BTC) ▲ ~$63,100 (+1.0% on the day)

Bitcoin traded in a $62,500-$63,150 corridor during the day and hovered around $63,100 in the evening - a third consecutive green day and roughly 8% above the July 1 low. The technically important support is now the $62,000 level; losing it would reopen the path toward the $58,300 zone. BTC dominance held around 58.9%.

2. Ethereum (ETH) ▲ ~$1,780 (+1.3% on the day)

Ethereum held above the psychologically important $1,750 level and traded around $1,780, up nearly 10% on the week. Ethereum ETFs attracted $29 million on July 2, but the 30-day balance is still about -$795 million.

3. Tether (USDT) ◆ ~$1.00 (stable)

USDT held its peg with a market cap of around $184 billion. After the end of the MiCA transition period, USDT availability on regulated EEA exchanges continues to shrink.

4. BNB ▲ ~$575 (+0.3% on the day)

BNB traded around $575, calmly following the broader market. In the background, Binance and CZ face a roughly $200 million class action from nearly 1,700 investors in the UK.

5. USDC ◆ ~$1.00 (stable)

USDC held its peg with a market cap of around $73 billion. The new competitor Open USD (a consortium of Coinbase, Visa, Mastercard and Google) continues to put pressure on Circle - the company's shares fell to a four-month low during the week.

6. XRP ▲ ~$1.16 (leader of the day among majors)

XRP reached its highest level since June 23 in thin July 4 trading, recovering nearly 10% from its recent low. Support came from XRP ETF inflows (+$59.4 million in June - a third consecutive positive month) and the growth of RLUSD stablecoin assets. Seven spot XRP ETFs now trade in the US with combined AUM of around $1 billion.

7. Solana (SOL) ◆ ~$81.7 (-0.8% on the day)

Solana paused after a roughly 19% weekly gain. The week's most important event was the launch of Solana Governance Proposals - a new on-chain governance system with stake-weighted validator voting. Open interest has grown 35.5% in 30 days to $5.82 billion - the fastest leverage expansion among the majors.

8. TRON (TRX) ▲ ~$0.325 (+0.6% on the day)

TRON maintained its usual stability, anchored by its dominant role in stablecoin transfers.

9. Hyperliquid (HYPE) ▲ ~$71 (+6.2% on the day)

HYPE was among the weekend leaders, consolidating above the $70 level. HYPE funds attracted more inflows in June than any other crypto ETF segment.

10. Dogecoin (DOGE) ▲ ~$0.0776 (+0.3% on the day)

DOGE quietly followed the market, trading around $0.0776.

11. Zcash (ZEC) ▲ ~$460 (+6.6% on the day)

Privacy coins continued to attract capital: ZEC rose to about $460 with one of the day's largest trading volumes (~$2 billion), though without a clear catalyst.

12. Stellar (XLM) ▲ ~$0.207 (+4.1% on the day)

XLM held above the $0.20 level after a ~10% weekly rally triggered by joining the Open USD initiative and launching USST, an institutional stablecoin backed by tokenized US Treasury assets.

13. Cardano (ADA) ▲ ~$0.192 (+6.9% on the day)

ADA extended a two-day rally after bouncing from a six-year low: +12% on Friday, nearly +7% more on Saturday. The climb was supported by a technical breakout above the 20-day EMA, rising volumes and short liquidations. The next resistance zone of $0.183-$0.187 has already been cleared, and traders are watching the $0.20 level.

14. Monero (XMR) ▲ ~$330 (+2.8% on the day)

XMR rose to about $330, confirming broader demand for privacy coins.

15. Chainlink (LINK) ▲ ~$7.90 (+2.0% on the day)

LINK held above the important $7.23 support. Long-term optimism is backed by bank settlement initiatives and whale accumulation, but LINK ETFs saw their first weekly net outflows.

Stablecoins

The stablecoin segment continues to reshuffle. USDT capitalization is around $184 billion, USDC around $73 billion. The week's biggest story is Open USD - the business stablecoin backed by Coinbase, Visa, Mastercard and Google, which has Circle investors worried about USDC's market share. Meanwhile Stellar launched USST, an institutional stablecoin backed by tokenized US Treasury assets, and Ripple's RLUSD keeps growing rapidly in both assets and volumes.

NFT market

The NFT market had its liveliest week in a while: total weekly NFT sales rose 37.4% to $88.3 million, and Ethereum NFT volumes climbed 39.1% to $27.6 million. The negative headline - TokenWorks suspended trading on its Fake World Assets protocol after an attacker exploited a Chainlink callback vulnerability to unfairly acquire CryptoPunk #5450 for about $66,000 in ETH. The team stresses that Chainlink's randomness mechanism was not compromised, purchases have been frozen, and the NFT's owner will be fully reimbursed.

ETF flows

The July 2 US spot Bitcoin ETF inflow (+$223.5 million) snapped a 10-day outflow streak: Fidelity's FBTC attracted $166.0 million, ARK's ARKB $91.8 million, while BlackRock's IBIT still lost $40.4 million. Ethereum ETFs attracted $29.0 million. Due to the holidays (US markets closed on July 3, July 4 falling on a Saturday), new flow data will only arrive on Monday, and it will show whether the turnaround is durable. The 30-day balance remains negative for now: -$6.27 billion for BTC funds and -$795 million for ETH funds. In the background, the SEC is considering a confidential ETF filing process - the agency currently reviews about 200 ETF applications per month.

Security incidents

Apart from the TokenWorks NFT incident, the weekend passed without major hacks. PeckShield's June summary provides context: 40 incidents with about $75.9 million in losses - 7% less than in May.

Regulatory news

Europe has entered the era of full MiCA enforcement: the transition period ended on July 1, and ESMA confirmed that firms without authorization must immediately stop serving EU clients - a pending application is not an authorization. By the end of the transition, 244 service providers had received MiCA authorization across the EU and EEA. In the UK, nearly 1,700 investors filed a $200 million claim against Binance and CZ over the sale of high-risk derivative products to retail customers without authorization. In the US, Robinhood launched its own Layer-2 blockchain with Uniswap as the primary liquidity provider (UNI +12%), while Securitize debuted on the NYSE under the ticker SECZ and tokenized its own shares on the Avalanche and Solana networks - a significant tokenization milestone.

Macro context

Weaker June US employment data reduced the odds of further Fed rate hikes, supporting risk assets. Liquidity was low due to the US holidays - markets were closed on July 3, and the country celebrated its 250th anniversary. The next key events: the minutes of the Fed's June meeting on July 8 and the ECB minutes on July 9. In Grayscale's view, Bitcoin's next move largely depends on the progress of the CLARITY Act in the US Congress and the Fed's policy path.

Key figures - July 4

• Bitcoin: ~$63,100 (+1.0% on the day; +8% from the July 1 low of $58,278)
• Ethereum: ~$1,780 (+1.3% on the day; ~+10% on the week)
• XRP: ~$1.16 (highest level since June 23)
• Total market capitalization: ~$2.22 trillion (+0.2%)
• Fear & Greed Index: 21 (Extreme Fear; below 25 for 30 days)
• BTC liquidations in 24h: ~$51.6 million (90% shorts)
• Spot Bitcoin ETFs on July 2: +$223.5 million (10-day outflow streak snapped)
• 30-day ETF balance: BTC ~-$6.27 billion; ETH ~-$795 million
• Weekly NFT volumes: ~$88.3 million (+37.4%)
• MiCA: 244 authorized CASPs across the EU/EEA at the end of the transition

This article was prepared with the assistance of artificial intelligence and is intended for informational purposes only. It does not constitute investment advice. Always do your own research before making investment decisions.

Sources

• CoinStats AI - Latest Crypto News Update - July 04, 2026
• BanklessTimes - Crypto Market Recap: SEC Explores Crypto ETF Changes; Solana Revamps Governance; Robinhood Backs Uniswap (Jun 28-Jul 4, 2026)
• Yahoo Finance - Bitcoin and ethereum prices today, Friday, July 3, 2026: 'Green' July off to a solid start
• BanklessTimes - Why Cardano Price Suddenly Surged 12% After Hitting Six-Year Low
• BanklessTimes - Chainlink Callback Exploit Hits TokenWorks, CryptoPunk Lost