PEPE price rose 16% today, closing a Cup & Handle chart pattern that enabled it to recuperate and improve on previous setbacks. Speculators rushed in, pushing spot trading volume to nearly $4 billion. That outpaced Dogecoin's $2.84 billion by about $1.10 billion.

Smart-contract trades for PEPE reached $5.74 billion in derivatives today, which is up 280% from yesterday. Dogecoin continues to dominate futures with $6.60 billion volume and a solid Open Interest funding rate—the highest since February 2025. DOGE shorts lost $14 million in liquidations, which is about $3 million less than losses for PEPE shorts.

According to on-chain analysts at LookOnChain, a single large wallet added 500 billion PEPE tokens worth $4.36 million. Only a few days ago, the same wallet scooped up another 500 billion at $4.54 million.

Now, this whale owns 1.5 trillion tokens worth approximately $18.6 million at today’s rate of $0.0000123. Such transactions can drive prices higher, but can also spark sudden sell-offs.

Latest data indicates Chaikin Money Flow on the PEPE/USDT pair went positive on May 6, 2025. That suggests cash is flowing back into the coin as geopolitical tensions subside. However, network growth indicators remain down. Fewer new wallets are entering the PEPE party. In other words, the rally might be more fueled by large traders swapping bags rather than new users piling in.

The overall supply of PEPE is around 420 trillion tokens. That’s a massive amount. Even a fraction of that selling off could swamp exchanges. Coins with tighter supplies don’t require as much buzz to maintain their price. PEPE has risen by over 112% this month, but big supplies mean big gains can turn just as quickly.

Meanwhile, Bitcoin price surged over $104,000 today. That level tends to attract more retail traders into the market. If retail is confident, they go after smaller coins afterwards. That might drive PEPE higher if traders believe that the meme rally has legs to it. But it also increases the risk of a sharp pullback if Bitcoin loses steam.