Ether surges 30% in best week since 2021 as trade tensions ease

Ether led a broad cryptocurrency rally this week, heading for its strongest gains since 2021, bolstered by easing global trade tensions and optimism over a network upgrade.

The second-largest digital token by market value jumped as much as 14 per cent on Friday to $2,490, extending its weekly advance to nearly 33 per cent. That marks its steepest weekly gain since 2021, when speculative excesses and low interest rates fuelled the pandemic-era crypto boom.

Bitcoin, the industry bellwether, climbed as much as 1.7 percent to $104,336, as sentiment improved across digital assets following a new trade pact between the US and UK. The agreement signals a thaw in global economic relations after a period of escalating tariffs under President Donald Trump, which had rattled risk markets. 

“Momentum is strong and could persist,” said Valentin Fournier, lead research analyst at BRN. “The new breakout and policy support are likely to draw in new buyers.”

The rebound in Ether also reflects renewed investor focus on Ethereum’s ongoing technological upgrade. The network, widely regarded as crypto’s commercial backbone, recently implemented the Pectra upgrade. The changes are designed to reduce transaction fees, improve network efficiency, and enable more complex wallet functionalities — moves seen as necessary to fend off competition from faster-growing rivals like Solana.

Despite the recent rally, Ether remains down roughly 50 percent from its all-time high reached in November 2021, continuing to lag behind Bitcoin and other top-performing digital assets.