2025 has kicked off with renewed optimism among investors, especially with notable trends within the cryptocurrency market. Many altcoins are experiencing significant price movements, leading to increased enthusiasm among traders. According to CoinGecko, as of January 2, two of the trending altcoins—Virtuals Protocol (VIRTUAL) and Kekius Maximus (KEKIUS)—have demonstrated impressive growth, contrasting with the decline of ai16z (AI16Z).
Virtuals Protocol (VIRTUAL) maintains its strong performance from Q4 2024, surging by 23.60% over the last 24 hours to reach $4.89. The token’s rise is primarily attributed to the growing interest surrounding artificial intelligence and gaming, which has fueled its demand. Technical indicators reflect this momentum: the Relative Strength Index (RSI) shows bullish trends, hinting the price could rise to $6 if enthusiasm persists. Conversely, should interest wane, it may drop back to around $2.90.
Kekius Maximus (KEKIUS), by comparison, has suffered significant losses, plummeting by 50% recently. The downturn followed Tesla CEO Elon Musk's change of his X handle back to its original name, leading to over $300 million trimmed from the token's market cap within hours. Despite the setback, the altcoin is showing potential recovery, with bullish trends indicating it may rally to approximately $0.28, provided bear pressure doesn't escalate to push it down to $0.10.
Meanwhile, ai16z, led by AI-driven venture capital, experienced its own rise promoting price stability of around $2.27 after appreciating by 20% recently. The underlying bullish sentiment surrounding AI-related cryptocurrencies has kept it trending. Market predictions within this segment suggest it could reach $3.50, but it faces risks of retracting to about $1.73 if bearish sentiment gains traction.
On the broader financial scene, stocks like Southern Copper (SCCO) are also under scrutiny. Shares of SCCO have declined by 10% over the past month, trailing behind the Zacks S&P 500's minor -2.4% movement. The Zacks Mining - Non-Ferrous segment, which includes Southern Copper, has also reported losses of 11.3% during the same period, signaling investor caution.
Analysts are keeping an eye on future earnings estimates, with projections for Southern Copper showing potential gains. For the current quarter, earnings of $1.06 per share represent 86% growth from last year’s figures. The full-year estimate stands at $4.45, reflecting annual growth of 43.1%. Despite the recent downward trend, these strong estimates maintain Southern Copper's hold rating within the Zacks Ranks.
Also trending is the notable rise of the social media app Bluesky, which is gaining traction as it rolls out features like Trending Topics akin to Twitter, enabling users to easily access popular discussions. This enhancement, launched just before Christmas, reflects user interests and aims to boost the platform’s engagement metrics. Bluesky has grown from 13 million users to 25.9 million, with engagement reportedly rising 2-10x for organizations utilizing the platform.
Jay Graber, Bluesky's chief, indicates their growth strategy prioritizes user feedback and resource linkage through external content, differentiators from other platforms like Threads. Despite challenges—like luring users without ad funding—Bluesky positions itself as a significant competitor, aiming for sustainable growth against larger players.
These stories highlight the dynamic shifts within cryptocurrency investments and social media landscapes as 2025 begins, illustrating broader economic behaviors and user preferences shaping financial and digital trends this year.