Memecoin

Pudgy Penguins’ PENGU token has dropped about 80% from its peak near $0.04 and slid 20% to below $0.0097 after reports that the SEC sued Shima Capital and founder Yida Gao. The price has since bounced, but with PENGU down 66% over the past 2.5 months and memecoins historically weak in December, analysts say it must hold key support near $0.0093 and reclaim $0.013 to signal a more convincing recovery.

November NFP showed 64,000 jobs added, while unemployment climbed to 4.6%, the highest since September 2021. The series also recorded 105,000 losses in October and a 33,000 downward revision for August–September. On December 16, Joseph Wang and Anna Wong noted labor softness and disinflation that could give the Fed scope to cut rates.

SPX6900 fell more than 10% in the last 24 hours while the broader memecoin market declined 6.8%. Price is nearing the $0.44 area that marked its October 10 low, with MACD momentum fading and open interest rising from $8 million to $11.47 million. Holding $0.44 could open a move toward $0.75, though sector-wide softness remains a risk.

Alibaba's Qwen3-MAX AI issued dual-scenario forecasts for XRP, PEPE and DOGE into year-end 2025. The model outlines bearish targets near $0.15 for XRP, ~$0.000001 for PEPE and ~$0.04 for DOGE, and bullish targets up to $3.50 for XRP, 1,100% for PEPE and ~$1.20 for DOGE.

Pippin [PIPPIN] jumped 32.3% in the last 24 hours while Bitcoin fell 3.96% and the total crypto market cap dropped 4.13%. Open interest rose from $178 million on 15 December to $208 million, a 16.85% increase, alongside a 61.8% rise in daily volume. Despite a negative funding rate, coordinated whale accumulation appears to be driving the rally.

CoinGecko's 2025 State of Memecoins Report says election-driven political tokens helped push the sector's market cap to a record $150.6 billion in December 2024 before a steep decline. By November 2025, memecoins had fallen below $40 billion and NFT sales volumes also slid to $320 million, while some industry figures still expect memecoins to return in a new form.

Dogecoin has lagged the broader crypto market in the current bull cycle, recording the weakest year-to-date performance among the top 10 coins while several smaller meme tokens have rallied. Analysts highlight five alternatives—Fartcoin, Pepe, Pippin, Maxi Doge, and Pepenode—which feature low to mid caps, high trading volumes or presale inflows, and in some cases staking rewards or on-chain activity that could support stronger upside into 2026. These projects span Solana- and Ethereum-based ecosystems and are being accumulated by so-called smart money investors looking for higher risk-reward opportunities.

Over the past three months, Bitcoin declined about 26% but still held up better than most major crypto sectors, including Ether, AI tokens, memecoins and real-world asset tokens. Several analysts say the figures highlight a market where capital remains concentrated in BTC, which many investors currently treat as a relatively safer option within the crypto space.

Dogecoin fell through the $0.1320 area and is trading under $0.1300 and the 100-hour simple moving average. After setting a low near $0.1266, the pair is consolidating with nearby hurdles at $0.1325, $0.1340 and $0.1350. A move above $0.1400 could open $0.1450–$0.1500, while failure risks $0.1280, $0.1250 and $0.120.

MoonPay President Keith Grossman has challenged claims that the meme coin era has ended, arguing that falling trading volumes signal structural maturation rather than the death of attention-based assets. On Solana DEXs, meme coin volume has slipped below 15%, while sector dominance in altcoin markets has dropped from 0.109 in November 2024 to 0.034, alongside market value declines of more than 65% for major tokens. Other analysts attribute the downturn to oversaturation, pump-and-dump activity, and eroding investor trust, even as proponents insist that tokenized attention will persist in a more selective form.