The cryptocurrency market is in a fresh risk-on frenzy, influencing altcoins to wake up alongside Bitcoin (BTC)

The cryptocurrency market is in a fresh risk-on frenzy, influencing altcoins to wake up alongside Bitcoin (BTC). Hyperliquid (HYPE) and Aptos (APT) are trending upwards on Thursday as optimism mounts ahead of a potential trade deal announcement between the United States (US) and another country, reportedly to be the United Kingdom (UK).

Trump administration to announce trade deal

US President Donald Trump is expected to announce a trade deal with the UK at 14:00 GMT on Thursday in a “big news conference.” President Trump teased a new trade agreement with a “big and highly respected country” in a social media post on Wednesday, but did not specify which country.

“I will be having a very large and important press conference tomorrow morning, at 10:00 o'clock, in the White House, to announce a major trade deal with a big and highly respected country. The press and the people will be interested to hear!” President Trump said.

However, a top UK government official confirmed early Thursday that President Trump would announce key points in the US-UK trade agreement.

“The President will be announcing a trade deal with the UK at 10am tomorrow in a big news conference at the White House. A huge step forward for the UK-US economic partnership!” the official stated.

Optimism for a trade deal between the US and the UK has ignited risk-on sentiment in the crypto market. Bitcoin (BTC) closes in on the $100,000 level in the European session, while Ethereum (ETH) extends gains above $1,900. Similarly, Ripple (XRP) steadies the uptrend at $2.20, hinting at a larger breakout.

Hyperliquid is back above $20 as DeFi TVL soars

Hyperliquid’s price showcases a steady uptrend, nurtured from $9.30, a level HYPE tagged after President Trump’s tariff shocks in early April. A staggering 133% surge has seen layer-1 token exchange hands at $21.72 at the time of writing on Thursday.

HYPE’s uptrend occurred alongside a sharp increase in the platform’s Decentralised Finance (DeFi) Total Value Locked (TVL). DefiLlama’s TVL chart below illustrates the trend from zero in December to $690.21 million in February. The TVL volume was drawn down in March, hitting a low of $311.55 million on April 7 before reversing sharply to $872 million.

HYPE’s DeFi TVL: Source: DefiLlama

This upward trend in TVL shows the rising adoption and user confidence in Hyperliquid’s DeFi ecosystem. TVL represents the total value of assets locked in its protocols, comprising lending, staking, or liquidity provision.

A persistent increase in TVL signals higher trust and utility in a DeFi project, which can drive demand for the native token while reducing the circulating supply, ultimately pushing prices higher.

Meanwhile, Hyperliquid’s price sits on top of key moving averages, including the 50-day and the 100-day Exponential Moving Averages (EMAs), which validates the bullish outlook.

HYPE/USDT daily chart

The Relative Strength Index (RSI) indicator’s upward trend at 68.45 bolsters HYPE’s bullish case. Further upside movement into the overbought region (70 and above) would pave the way for more gains.

Key targets include previously tested resistances at $24.00 and $28.00, respectively.

However, traders should proceed with caution, as an overbought RSI might spark a reversal if positions are adjusted, potentially leading to a price drop.

Aptos’s price rally is on course to $10

Aptos’s price continues to gain steam, reflecting the positive sentiment in the broader cryptocurrency market. APT is up over 6% to trade at $5.00 at the time of writing after bouncing back from short-term support at around $4.50.

Like Hyperliquid, Aptos has experienced a major turnaround in its DeFi TVL, which has reached $1.16 billion from the April low of $947.77 million. The TVL increased nearly 6% in the last 24 hours, signaling confidence in the Aptos ecosystem. A further increase would contribute to keeping APT’s price stable toward the $10.00 target.

APT DeFi TVL volume | Source: DefiLlama

The Aptos daily chart analysis reveals that the path with the least resistance is firmly upwards, supported by a potential buy signal from the Moving Average Convergence Divergence. Trading this indicator requires confirming the MACD line (blue) crossing above the signal line (red) before activating buy orders.

Based on the upward-moving RSI indicator