Ether Rose 71% as Crypto Trading Activity Slowed in Q3

Crypto prices rebounded in the third quarter as Ether gained 71% and average daily trading volume fell 8.6%, while open interest in perpetual contracts rose 40.6%, showing a split between spot and derivatives activity.

Ether (ETH) outperformed Bitcoin (BTC) and other major crypto assets, reaching $2,684 during the quarter. Spot Ether exchange-traded funds recorded $3.1 billion in net inflows over the period.

The market-cap rebound added $840.1 billion, lifting the total value of crypto assets 39.6% to about $3 trillion. It ended three consecutive quarterly declines and marked the largest quarterly gain since the fourth quarter of 2024. Market capitalization remained 4% below its level at the start of 2026.

Average daily crypto trading volume dropped to $73.3 billion. Spot trading on the 10 largest centralized exchanges fell 14.2% to $1.65 trillion. Binance’s share of spot trading increased to 42.7%, up from 38.7% in the second quarter.

Open interest in perpetual contracts on centralized exchanges climbed 40.6%, ending the quarter above $100 billion for the first time since the third quarter of 2025. The increase came as both average daily volume and spot trading on the largest exchanges declined.