Crypto Whale Spends $4.3M on CryptoPunks as NFT Market Cap Climbs 66% in 30 Days

A single buyer spent more than $2.9 million on six rare CryptoPunks featuring the coveted hoodie trait, deepening a resurgence in the market for non-fungible tokens (NFTs) that has pushed up prices and volumes.

The purchase, carried out in rapid succession on $NFT marketplace OpenSea, came after floor prices for top collections surged across the board.

Over the last 30 days, CryptoPunks jumped 29% to nearly 51 ETH (about $190,000), while Pudgy Penguins and Bored Ape Yacht Club saw 66.7% and 9.8% rises, respectively, according to CoinGecko data.

The hoodie sweep stands out because a single buyer picked up all of the rare NFTs. In total, the buyer now has 12 CryptoPunks.

Market data from CoinGecko shows that overall $NFT capitalization jumped 66% to $6 billion in the past 30 days. CryptoPunks’ rally saw their share of the market grow past 30%.

Despite the rally, the $NFT sector is far behind the 2021 and 2022 boom, when the market capitalization reached $16.6 billion. Since then, major marketplaces including X2Y2 have shut down and others pivoted to token trading.