Crypto markets ended the week on stronger footing after weaker-than-expected U.S. jobs data reduced expectations for additional Federal Reserve rate hikes, while Uniswap also surged on news of a partnership with Robinhood.

Overall, the sector finished the week ahead of where it started, with bitcoin trading near $61,600 after rebounding roughly 6.5% from Tuesday’s near two-year low of $57,750.

Still, Friday’s gains were relatively subdued compared with Thursday’s 2.6% advance, which followed soft labor market data that further weakened the case for Fed tightening.

Interest rate expectations remained the key driver as U.S. markets headed into a long weekend. Ether extended its recovery for a third consecutive session, rising 11.5% since Tuesday and adding 2.6% on Friday. Several altcoins also advanced, with ADA, ZEC, and DASH gaining roughly 2.2%–3.1%.

Despite the rebound, the broader market structure remains tilted bearish, with most tokens still forming lower highs and lower lows. A clearer trend reversal in bitcoin would require a break above $67,000, followed by a move past the May high near $81,000.

In derivatives markets, ether led liquidations ahead of bitcoin, with $417 million in total crypto futures wiped out over 24 hours—$160.8 million from ETH positions versus $97 million from BTC—highlighting heavier bearish positioning in ether.

Ether futures open interest stayed elevated at 14.31 million, the highest since June 10, alongside annualized funding rates near 10% and strong trading activity, suggesting increased demand for leveraged long exposure.

Dogecoin futures also saw rising activity, with open interest reaching 14.13 billion tokens, the highest since mid-May, signaling renewed appetite for leverage similar to ether’s setup.

By contrast, tokens like HBAR and ZEC showed weaker positioning, with HBAR recording the most negative 24-hour cumulative volume delta among majors, indicating more aggressive selling via market orders. Even so, most tokens still showed positive CVD overall, suggesting buyers remain dominant.

Volatility continues to decline, with 30-day implied volatility for both bitcoin and ether falling after June’s spike, a sign of calmer conditions that often support sustained price trends.

Options data on Deribit reflected a bullish tilt, with bitcoin calls concentrated between $60,000 and $70,000 and ether calls around $2,500. A notable block trade included a BTC long call condor strategy targeting a $66,000–$68,000 range into mid-July.

Among altcoins, Uniswap (UNI) led gains after confirmation it will act as the primary automated market maker for Robinhood’s layer-2 blockchain. UNI jumped more than 11% in 24 hours, with trading volume doubling to $320 million following the announcement.

AI-related tokens such as FET, RENDER, and TAO also posted modest gains of 1.5%–2.3% after recent weakness.

The broader altcoin market remains neutral, with CoinMarketCap’s “Altcoin Season” index at 46/100, reflecting subdued directional conviction as risk appetite stays mixed.

Solana (SOL) continues to outperform major tokens, rising more than 17% over the past week to trade near $80, rebounding sharply from lows around $68 earlier in the week.