While primary digital currencies display volatile trends, STX, the native coin for the Bitcoin layer-2 platform Stacks, continues to climb. The asset has advanced nearly 10% over the last 24 hours, 14% across the past week, and upwards of 50% in four weeks, beating out bitcoin BTC $83,696.96, ether ETH $2,499.57, XRP, and other virtual assets.
This strong performance likely stems from investor enthusiasm for the non-custodial bitcoin staking architecture developed by Stacks. This system enables BTC owners to stake and generate returns directly on the primary Bitcoin network while maintaining tight protection of their private keys. Conversely, legacy systems demand that users wrap their holdings into synthetic tokens like wBTC or transfer capital across cross-chain bridges to secure extra yield.
The framework utilized by Stacks depends on a process termed bonding, which mandates that participants lock funds to safeguard the network. The Bonding Period 3, scheduled for November, requires holders of native STX to lock a precise proportion of STX alongside their BTC—amounting to approximately 5% of their total BTC value—to properly secure protocol stacking capacity.
This mechanism establishes a positive feedback loop for STX: As extra BTC enters the Stacks network, a greater percentage of STX gets systematically locked away and removed from circulation. By linking bitcoin liquidity directly to STX scarcity, the structure heavily tilts the supply-demand balance toward long-term price gains.
Period 3 comes after Periods 1 and 2, which acted as introductory stages to safely migrate signers and establish initial liquidity.
STX is not the sole digital asset to post gains within a 24-hour window. BDX, REDNER, and PYTH stand out as additional top performers, each rising 6%. Such movement indicates liquidity increasingly shifting toward alternative coins outside the major cryptocurrencies.
Even so, the wider environment remains closely tied to macroeconomic metrics. Analysts are getting ready for the U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) release on Wednesday, which could significantly shape forecasts for upcoming Federal Reserve interest-rate choices. Stay alert!
Read more: For analysis of today’s activity in altcoins and derivatives, see Crypto Markets Today . For a comprehensive list of events this week, see CoinDesk’s “Crypto Week Ahead.”
What’s trending
- Ledger says ‘spy’ chip inside CryptoBilis Ledger devices transmitted wallet keys over mobile network (CoinDesk): Hidden hardware embedded within certain Ledger hardware wallet devices read users’ 24-word backup passphrases and transmitted them to a malicious actor across a mobile cellular network.
- Global semiconductor stocks sell-off over AI boom worries pulls Asian shares lower (AP): Worldwide equities displayed mixed results, though a sell-off in semiconductor manufacturer stocks dragged Asian markets down, with South Korea’s main Kospi index dropping over 5%. U.S. futures moved up slightly, while petroleum prices declined.
- Bitcoin whale that sat through the March 2020 crash moves $378 million (CoinDesk): A bitcoin holder who obtained their coins days prior to the COVID market crash in March 2020 and held through it has transferred $377.6 million worth of BTC.
- U.S. Treasury yields fall as energy prices pull back (CNBC): Debt yields decreased following a drop in energy costs during early trading hours as investors anticipated major economic updates scheduled for the week.
Today’s signal
The chart illustrates ether’s daily price fluctuations using candlestick bars.
The second-biggest cryptocurrency by market capitalization has returned inside its established yellow consolidation zone. It currently remains positioned squarely against that boundary.
Should prices break past the upper limit of this consolidation phase, the market might test the recent peak of $2,800. If the combined support at $2,400—representing the lower boundary of the consolidation alongside the bullish channel—fails, it would signal a conclusion to the recovery stemming from the July lows.
Originally published at https://www.coindesk.com/daybook-us/2026/10/13/stacks-stx-a-bitcoin-layer-2-token-has-surged-by-50-in-four-weeks.
