Bitcoin Rises 5% but Stays Below $70,000

Bitcoin rose more than 5% this week, its first weekly gain in five weeks, but prices did not reclaim the $70,000 level. The token is about 25% lower year-to-date and roughly 47% below its October 2025 record high.

Ether closed the week more than 9% higher but remained under $2,000. Ether is about 40% lower year-to-date and roughly 63% below its August 2025 record close. Ethereum launched in July 2015 and its native token is used for payments and smart contracts on the platform.

XRP, created by Ripple in 2012, was included in the comparison because it was once among the larger cryptocurrencies by market share. XRP continues to be tracked in broader analyses of major digital assets.

Analysts and charting tools combine Bitcoin, Ether and XRP into a single index that starts on November 9, 2017. The index uses a logarithmic scale to show percentage changes and longer-term trends rather than absolute price swings. At different times each token has led the group; Bitcoin holds the top position in cumulative performance.

Regulatory and product developments have affected investor access. On January 10, 2024, U.S. regulators approved spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds from issuers including Grayscale, iShares, Fidelity, ARK 21Shares, Bitwise and CoinShares/Valkyrie. Spot Ether ETFs from issuers including Grayscale, Franklin, Bitwise, iShares and Fidelity began trading on July 23, 2024. Those products let some investors gain exposure to the tokens without holding them directly.

A cryptocurrency is a digital asset that uses cryptography to secure transactions, limit the creation of new units and verify transfers. Bitcoin saw its first recorded transaction in 2009. Ethereum launched in 2015 as a programmable blockchain platform. XRP appeared in 2012 with a focus on payments. All three are high-risk investments and are subject to wide price swings.