NEAR Protocol surges 30% on self-automation announcement as Bitcoin drifts near $77K

The day's standout story was NEAR Protocol, which jumped 29.64% after announcing a plan to automate its own network growth — essentially using AI-driven processes to expand the protocol without manual intervention. The announcement attracted fresh capital and put NEAR among the top single-day movers in the broader market. Outside of NEAR, the session was subdued. Bitcoin drifted 0.68% lower to $77,141, and Ethereum slipped 0.50% to $2,118. Neither move had a clear catalyst; both look like low-conviction drift in a market where the Fear & Greed index sits at 28 — a reading that reflects genuine caution, not panic, but not confidence either. Zcash fell 3.16% and Monero dropped 4.49%, continuing a pattern of pressure on privacy-focused coins that has persisted through recent months as regulatory scrutiny of anonymous transactions remains elevated. One notable divergence: XRP ETFs attracted fresh inflows even as Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs continued to struggle with redemptions. XRP's spot price still fell 1.15% on the day, but the ETF flow data points to institutional interest holding up in a corner of the market where Bitcoin funds are losing ground. Bitcoin's implied volatility also hit a seven-month low — an unusual reading given the macro backdrop, suggesting that options traders are not pricing in a near-term large move even as sentiment remains cautious.

• –XRP ETFs drew fresh inflows while Bitcoin and Ethereum funds continued to see outflows, marking a notable split in institutional appetite across the three largest crypto ETF categories.
• –Bitcoin's implied volatility (a measure of how large a price swing options traders expect) fell to a seven-month low, an unusually calm reading given ongoing macroeconomic uncertainty.
• –Billionaire Mark Cuban said he sold most of his Bitcoin after the narrative that BTC acts as a hedge against inflation or dollar weakness failed to play out to his satisfaction.