Bitcoin retakes $63,000, reversing end-June losses as XRP leads the majors
BTC climbed above $63,000 for the first time in two weeks during thin July 4 holiday trading — its highest in over a month — while XRP jumped 5% to overtake USDC as the fifth-largest crypto.
Bitcoin climbed above $63,000 on Saturday, July 4 — its first time at that level in two weeks and its highest in over a month — reversing the losses that closed out a dismal June. Thin holiday trading likely amplified the move.
XRP led the majors, jumping more than 5% on the day and nearly 10% on the week, overtaking USDC to become the fifth-largest cryptocurrency by market value. The gain came alongside onchain data showing XRP holders at their deepest average losses on record — the kind of washed-out positioning contrarian traders like to buy against.
The rebound followed a friendlier macro backdrop, with softer U.S. economic data and easing inflation risk reviving the case for Federal Reserve cuts.
The wider context remains sobering. Bitcoin started 2026 above $93,000 and closed June around $60,000 after hitting a fresh 21-month low in the final week of the month. But one divergence stands out: whales bought $16.7 billion of Bitcoin over two weeks even as ETFs bled a record $4 billion — a split that has appeared near past cycle bottoms.