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.