Bitcoin risks another lower high as stocks rally, AI tokens outperform
Key takeaways
- The move leaves the largest cryptocurrency potentially forming another lower high in a bearish structure that has been in place since October, and down 7% over the past two weeks.
- The weakness is not reflected in broader financial markets.
- Trading at $2,098, ETH has shed more than 10% over the past two weeks and sits firmly in the middle of the range it carved out between February and April, with no signs of reclaiming lost ground.
The bitcoin price chart is forming a potential lower high while ether languishes in a months-old range even as S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 index futures push higher.By Oliver Knight, Omkar Godbole|Edited by Sheldon Reback May 26, 2026, 10:42 a.m. 3 min read Make preferred on Bitcoin price (Coin Desk Data)What to know: The price of bitcoin has dropped 7% over two weeks and may confirm another lower high in a bearish structure dating back to OctoberEther fared even worse after shedding more than 10% over the same period.AI-linked tokens are bucking the weakness, with the CoinDesk Computing Select Index adding 1.9%, led by RENDER and FET, while the DeFi Select Index gained 1.3%.Privacy tokens are broadly lower, with ZEC, XMR and DASH falling as much as 7%.Bitcoin BTC$77,166.67 traded at $76,600 on Tuesday, down 0.8% since midnight UTC, as Monday's brief bounce to $77,800 fades. The move leaves the largest cryptocurrency potentially forming another lower high in a bearish structure that has been in place since October, and down 7% over the past two weeks.
The weakness is not reflected in broader financial markets. S&P 500 index futures and Nasdaq 100 futures have gained more than 0.5%, pointing to crypto-specific headwinds rather than macroeconomic and geopolitical pressures.
Ether (ETH) is faring worse. Trading at $2,098, ETH has shed more than 10% over the past two weeks and sits firmly in the middle of the range it carved out between February and April, with no signs of reclaiming lost ground.