Dogecoin Cofounder Weighs In on Crypto Rally With 2 Key Questions

TL;DR:

• Billy Markus, co-creator of the memecoin, publicly questioned the sustainability of the sector’s recent bullish rebound on social media.
• DOGE recorded a 10% gain over the last 24 hours to reach $0.0771, with an intraday high of $0.078.
• The performance of major crypto assets outperformed the S&P 500 index, which reported a change of just 0.21% over the same period.

Dogecoin cofounder Billy Markus, known by the pseudonym Shibetoshi Nakamoto, publicly reacted this Thursday to the recent broad rebound in the cryptocurrency market. Markus shared a screenshot of the price dashboard, posing two direct questions: whether the crypto sector is back and if the 2026 nightmare is over.

is crypto back!?!?!?!?!

is the 2026 nightmare over?!?!!? pic.twitter.com/UoMYlciTwc

— Shibetoshi Nakamoto (@BillyM2k) August 19, 2026

Momentum returned to major digital assets following the price shakeout, boosting Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and Dogecoin itself. During the session, DOGE traded with a 10% increase to reach $0.0771, after recovering from a low of $0.069 recorded in the previous session.

During the early hours of Thursday, the canine-themed token briefly touched an intraday high of $0.078 before stabilizing its price.

Experts explain that Markus’s reaction reflects the prevailing caution following months of selling pressure across the ecosystem. Market data notes that the industry experienced record liquidations of $19 billion during a flash crash recorded last October. Since then, trading volume and retail investor confidence had remained subdued.

The chart shared by Markus showed that crypto assets outperformed traditional instruments. The S&P 500 index advanced by only 0.21% during the analyzed interval, while major cryptocurrencies posted double-digit percentage gains.

Macroeconomic Reaction and Asset Performance

Financial traders are digesting the release of the minutes from the July Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting of the US Federal Reserve. Official central bank documentation indicates that the majority of members supported keeping interest rates unchanged, though a minority faction favored additional rate hikes.

This macroeconomic backdrop contributed to restraining the traditional stock market, creating room for differentiated performance among alternative risk assets.

Analysts cited by the news source suggest that the answer to the cofounder’s questions will depend on the confirmation of a sustained bullish structure over the coming weeks. For now, order book behavior does not reflect a consolidated technical reversal, but rather a relief rally from accumulated oversold levels.

The short-term trajectory of DOGE and the broader market capitalization will be gauged with the release of fresh Consumer Price Index (CPI) data and the Federal Reserve’s upcoming monetary policy meeting scheduled for September.