Ether, XRP flat as chip stocks steady on Samsung's 250-fold profit surge

On July 30, 2026, major cryptocurrencies showed little change, with bitcoin around $64,100 and ether near $1,905 amid modest trading volumes. Other large tokens like XRP, solana, BNB, and TRON also remained largely flat, with only BNB recording a small weekly gain. Trading volumes were moderate, with approximately $28 billion in bitcoin and $10 billion in ether exchanging hands. This stability in crypto prices occurred alongside a notable easing in the recent selloff of semiconductor stocks.

The semiconductor sector itself experienced significant profit surges, with Samsung reporting a 250-fold increase in chip profits fueled by AI memory shortages, while SK Hynix posted a 557% profit increase. Despite these extraordinary earnings reports, stock price reactions were muted; Samsung’s shares rose only 2%, and SK Hynix’s shares fell 17%. This disparity highlights the very high market expectations, where strong profits do not necessarily translate into strong stock performance. The Kospi index, reflecting South Korea's stock market, swung between a 6% gain and a 2% loss on the day after having dropped more than 40% since June.

Meanwhile, U.S. equities showed a mixed picture with Microsoft gaining nearly 9% in after-hours trading due to strong cloud growth, while Meta shares fell 8% on a weak revenue forecast. Nasdaq 100 futures rose 1% following the index’s entry into a technical correction. Throughout the week, major cryptocurrencies experienced mild declines, which appear more related to thinning liquidity than to reactions to equity market stress. Bitcoin had previously tracked semiconductor stock movements but remained resilient through recent selloffs in both U.S. megacap tech and Korean markets.

The source suggests the muted crypto movement despite turmoil in semiconductor and technology stocks indicates crypto might be somewhat insulated from current equity market dynamics. The stability in major tokens amid heightened investor expectations in stock markets and semiconductor earnings points to a complex interaction rather than a direct correlation between these sectors in the present economic environment.