NFT Market Rebounds After $1.2 Billion Crash as Buyers Slowly Return

The NFT market is showing early signs of recovery after a sharp sell-off wiped out more than $1.2 billion in market capitalization during Friday’s broader crypto market crash.

According to CoinGecko data, total NFT market value plunged from $6.2 billion to $5 billion in just 24 hours as panic spread across digital assets. However, as the weekend progressed and crypto markets stabilized, NFTs regained some ground — climbing back to around $5.5 billion by Sunday before settling near $5.4 billion on Monday.

This swift rebound suggests that while speculative demand remains subdued, core collectors and long-term investors are beginning to re-enter the market.

Top Collections Still Struggling

Despite the partial recovery, most leading Ethereum-based NFT collections remain in negative territory over the past week.

Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) and Pudgy Penguins recorded weekly losses of 10.2% and 21.4%, respectively, while art collections like Infinex Patrons and Fidenza by Tyler Hobbs posted double-digit monthly declines.

CryptoPunks, still the largest NFT collection by market capitalization, fell 8% over the past week and 5% in the last 30 days.

However, some projects have managed minor rebounds. Mutant Ape Yacht Club (MAYC) gained 1.5% in the last 24 hours, while Hyperliquid’s Hypurr NFTs rose 2.8%, indicating cautious optimism among buyers seeking bargains after the crash.

NFTs Mirror Broader Crypto Volatility

Friday’s crash was triggered by escalating trade tensions between the United States and China. Bitcoin briefly dipped to $102,000 on Binance’s perpetual futures pair after U.S. President Donald Trump announced 100% tariffs on Chinese imports of rare earth minerals.

The sharp drop across digital assets caused liquidations totaling nearly $20 billion — surpassing previous major crashes, including those following the FTX collapse.

The broader crypto market shed around $460 billion in value, dropping from $4.24 trillion to $3.78 trillion before recovering to about $3.94 trillion by Monday.

Signs of Resilience

Despite the turmoil, institutional crypto investment products continued to see strong inflows. Data from CoinShares revealed that exchange-traded products attracted $3.17 billion in new investments last week, even amid Friday’s volatility — a sign that long-term confidence in the digital asset sector remains intact.

For NFTs, the rebound suggests that while the speculative mania of past cycles has cooled, investor interest in digital ownership and blockchain-based collectibles is far from over.