The cryptocurrency market started the new year with robust gains, as AI-focused tokens and Dogecoin (DOGE) led a notable recovery. The total market capitalization rose nearly 2% to $3.1 trillion in the past 24 hours, signaling renewed investor optimism following a period of subdued activity.
Market analysts attribute the early-year momentum to heightened social media buzz and high-profile endorsements, with prominent tech leaders influencing retail and institutional sentiment. Thin holiday liquidity likely amplified short-term volatility, boosting notable moves in select assets.
The rally underscores continued investor appetite for AI-crypto convergence, where blockchain networks integrating artificial intelligence protocols are attracting both speculative and strategic capital.
Elon Musk–Nvidia CEO Exchange Drives Sentiment
Tesla CEO Elon Musk publicly praised Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, responding to a social media post highlighting Huang’s admiration for Musk and the upcoming Optimus humanoid robot. Musk tweeted: “Jensen rocks!” — a brief remark that sent ripples through AI coin and Dogecoin communities.
Background context:
- Jensen Huang called Elon Musk “the most world-class builder we have in the country” and emphasized collaborative projects.
- Nvidia recently invested $2 billion in Musk’s xAI as part of a $20 billion funding round.
- Previous interactions between Musk and Huang historically triggered short-term price pumps in DOGE and AI coins.
Analysts noted that the combination of high-profile endorsements and growing AI adoption within blockchain ecosystems provided a catalyst for renewed buying pressure.
AI Tokens and Dogecoin Post Double-Digit Gains
Top-performing AI coins led the charge, with Story (IP) surging 32% to $2.22, extending its weekly gains to over 52%. Other double-digit performers include Filecoin, Render (RNDR), Injective (INJ), and TURBO, reflecting both institutional and retail interest in decentralized AI-compute networks.
Key metrics from the 24-hour session:
- Bittensor (TAO): +8%, trading at $235; intraday range $220.02–$237.69; volume +7%
- Dogecoin (DOGE): +8.1%, trading at $0.1275; intraday range $0.1181–$0.1289; volume +35%
- Story (IP): +32%, hitting $2.22, extending weekly rally to +52%
Analysts note that Grayscale’s Bittensor ETF filing with the U.S. SEC may have contributed to heightened trading activity, attracting institutional flows. The combination of AI-crypto adoption and social media hype is expected to continue driving short-term momentum in the sector.
Market watchers remain cautious, emphasizing that volatility is likely to remain high, given speculative positioning and thin liquidity in early trading sessions.
