Cryptocurrencies in the emerging artificial intelligence (AI) agent sector soared on Tuesday, while bitcoin (BTC) stalled below its all-time highs on Monday as traders await the first crypto-specific actions from the administration of Donald Trump.
AI Rig Complex’s AI16Z and ARC rose more than 30% throughout the day, while GRIFFAIN and ZEREBRO also posted double-digit advances. Part of the rally could have to do with news Tuesday afternoon that President Trump is preparing to announce up to $500 billion in private sector AI infrastructure investments with companies like OpenAI, Oracle and Softbank involved. Trump on Monday also rescinded Joe Biden’s 2023 executive order on AI risks to consumers, rolling back efforts to regulate the fast-growing sector.
The crypto AI broker sector gained significant share among traders, becoming a multi-billion dollar asset class since October when the first AI tokens emerged. These agents, represented by a cryptographic token, are autonomous programs developed to perform specific tasks such as posting on social media, providing market information, creating memecoins, or performing on-chain transactions to execute trades.
“Conviction was tested on AI/crypto, but after Altman gave the blessing, Trump did the same with the head of AI infrastructure development,” Will Clemente, founder of Reflexivity Research, said in an X post “As long as BTC does not fall below 100 [thousand dollars]”I think this sector is where the hot ball of money goes.”
The market awaits Trump’s catalysts
The broader crypto market is in wait-and-see mode, with most large-cap tokens in the CoinDesk 20 index posting modest gains. Bitcoin rose 3% in the last 24 hours to $106,000, slightly below its Monday high, boosted by MicroStrategy (MSTR) adding another 11,000 BTC worth $1.1 billion to its treasury. The largest corporate holder of the asset now owns more than $49 billion worth of BTC.
Ethereum Ether (ETH) still teeters near its weakest price in 4 years against BTC as community backlash mounts against the Ethereum Foundation, the development organization behind blockchain, for losing market share in value and activity of blockchain compared to its competitors.
“In light of a strong BTC rally on an absurdly frothy weekend of memecoin craze and huge expectations regarding Trump’s crypto policies, we favor a mild de-risking after a very strong two-month period” , analysts at K33 Research said in a report on Tuesday. “We expect cryptocurrency-specific executive orders to drive volatility, with the most plausible first executive orders being a repeal of SAB 121 and a pardon for Ross Ulbricht.”
Bitcoin’s weekend rally hit resistance at the $110,000 level, but dips to $100,000 were quickly bought, noted Joel Kruger, market strategist at LMAX Group.
“There was speculation about the sale due to President Trump’s failure to mention cryptocurrencies during the inauguration,” Kruger said in an emailed note. “These concerns appear to be greatly overblown, especially with so much of President Trump’s commitment to space in recent months, including the latest launch of his memecoins, activity at World Liberty Financial, and ongoing talks about a strategic bitcoin reserve.”
“Whatever the case, the outlook remains exceptionally bright, with Monday’s setbacks well supported on the downside,” he added.
