ZCash (ZEC) Tops Weekly Gains as Privacy-Coin Momentum Wanes
ZCash (ZEC) led gains among the top 100 cryptocurrencies this week, rising roughly 28% over seven days and briefly touching $368 — its highest since Nov. 29. ZEC posted dramatic moves in Q4 2025, rallying about 20x from mid‑August to mid‑November and peaking near $705 on Nov. 17 after institutional developments: Cypherpunk Technologies announced a ZEC-denominated digital-asset treasury and Grayscale filed for a spot ZEC ETF in the U.S. Despite the weekly strength, ZEC pulled back intraday (down ~5.6% in 24 hours) as broader market losses (~2.7%) and rising volume accompanied the move. Other privacy coins — Monero (XMR), Dash (DASH), Decred (DCR), MimbleWimbleCoin (MWC) and Verge (XVG) — mostly lagged or declined; Monero recently reclaimed the largest privacy-coin market-cap spot (~$7.6B vs. ZEC’s ~$7.2B). Earlier coverage noted ZEC’s prior rallies (15–23% weekly and medium-term gains) and technical resistance near $487, with a sustained break potentially targeting above $600. Taken together, the latest reporting shows ZEC remains volatile and driven by institutional catalysts, but sector-wide momentum has not consistently broadened — suggesting any further upside depends on follow-through from institutional flows and clearing technical resistance levels. Traders should watch volatility, volume, resistance at $487–$600, and relative strength versus competing privacy coins for short-term setups and risk management.
Bullish
The net effect of the combined reports is mildly bullish for ZEC. Positive institutional catalysts — Cypherpunk Technologies’ ZEC treasury and Grayscale’s spot ZEC ETF filing — have driven sizable price appreciation and renewed trader interest, which supports upside potential. ZEC’s strong weekly performance (≈28%) and prior Q4 surge demonstrate demand, and a sustained break above near-term resistance zones (noted around $487 with a next target near $600) would likely attract further buying. However, significant intraday pullbacks (~5.6% in 24h), elevated volatility, and lackluster breadth among other privacy coins temper the outlook; these factors increase short-term risk and the chance of rapid retracements. For traders this implies opportunity for bullish trades on breakouts or momentum continuation, but with strict risk controls: monitor volume confirmation, watch for failure at resistance, and size positions to withstand potential volatility.