- Fed’s steady rates eased uncertainty, but whale bets on ETH, APE, and POL hint at targeted rallies.
- POL whales acquired 3.24M tokens this week, driving total holdings to 308M amid rebranding momentum.
The crypto market saw heightened trading activity in the second week of May 2025 after the U.S. Federal Reserve opted to maintain current interest rates.
This decision coincided with increased accumulation of specific altcoins by large-scale investors, often termed “whales.” On-chain data highlights three tokens drawing concentrated buying activity: Ethereum (ETH), Apecoin (APE), and Polygon (POL).
ETH regained a price level above $2,000 this week. ETHNews analysts link this movement to the Fed’s policy update and the recent completion of Ethereum’s Pectra Upgrade, which introduced technical improvements to its network.
Data from IntoTheBlock shows a 374% rise in net inflows to wallets holding at least 0.1% of ETH’s circulating supply over seven days. When these large holders increase their positions, it often reflects anticipation of price stability or growth.
ETH’s ability to hold above $2,000 may depend on sustained interest from these investors.
APE, a token linked to the Bored Ape Yacht Club ecosystem, rose 13% in seven days, reaching $0.61. Blockchain records indicate that wallets holding 10,000 to 100,000 APE added 640,000 tokens during this period.
These investors now control 30.94 million APE, a level unseen since late 2022. The accumulation suggests renewed attention from major players, potentially signaling expectations of further price gains.
ApeCoin (APE) is currently trading at $0.6244, reflecting a +14.21% increase in the last 24 hours and a +15.82% gain over the past 7 days. With a market capitalization of $498.2 million and a circulating supply of 800 million APE, the token has reclaimed bullish momentum in the short term.
The 24-hour trading volume is $94.4 million, a sharp increase of over 70%, indicating strong renewed interest—likely fueled by speculative activity and NFT-related developments.
Technically, APE is rebounding off a bottoming formation after testing lows near $0.55. It is currently trading between support at $0.59 and resistance near $0.64, with a breakout above $0.65 likely to open a path toward the next key level at $0.71.
If it fails to hold the current level, downside retracement toward $0.59 or $0.546 is possible. APE remains 97.67% below its all-time high of $26.70, and 75.58% above its all-time low, highlighting its high volatility and cyclical behavior.
Fundamentally, APE is the governance and utility token of the Bored Ape Yacht Club ecosystem, developed by Yuga Labs. It functions within a broader Web3 environment of gaming, NFTs, and metaverse content.
The token’s value proposition is largely community-driven through ApeCoin DAO, which oversees governance and resource allocation. As the metaverse narrative picks up pace again, ApeCoin may benefit from renewed ecosystem traction, particularly if new games or NFT integrations are announced.
If APE breaks above $0.64 resistance and sustains volume, it is projected to reach $0.71 within the next 3–5 days, supported by increasing market activity and memecoin sector rotation.
Polygon, rebranded from MATIC in 2023, also saw notable whale activity. Addresses holding 1 million to 10 million POL acquired an additional 3.24 million tokens this week, bringing their total to 308.34 million. ETHNews analysts note that continued buying pressure from this group could extend POL’s current upward trend.
Polygon (MATIC) is currently trading at $0.2511, reflecting a -0.30% decline over the last 24 hours, despite showing a +6.36% increase over the past week. MATIC is still down over 91% from its all-time high of $2.92, indicating it remains deep in a long-term correction phase.
The market capitalization sits at $409.6 million, with a 24-hour trading volume of $4 million, signaling modest but steady market engagement. The fully diluted valuation (FDV) is currently $2.51 billion.
From a technical standpoint, MATIC is consolidating near support at the $0.25 level, with immediate resistance at $0.27–$0.28. A successful breakout from this zone could send MATIC back toward $0.32, while failure to hold the $0.245 level may trigger a retest of the $0.22 support range. The broader trend is neutral with slight bullish tilt due to recent weekly momentum.
Fundamentally, the transition from MATIC to POL is one of the key developments influencing long-term investor sentiment. This shift will see POL become the new gas and staking token for the Polygon PoS chain and future layers of the AggLayer architecture.
The Fed’s rate decision removed near-term economic uncertainty for some investors, contributing to broader crypto market gains. However, whale movements in ETH, APE, and POL suggest targeted bets on assets with specific catalysts or improving fundamentals.
