Global markets are on edge as traders weigh geopolitical risks, easing inflation signals, and possible U.S. interest rate cuts next week.

The turbulence has spilled into crypto, where GameStop’s pivot, Linea’s dramatic price drop, and Solana’s technical momentum are dominating discussion across trading desks and social media.

Breaking Down the Social Buzz

The resurgence of GameStop in crypto conversations is particularly noteworthy. According to data from market intelligence provider Santiment, the buzz stems from the companys recent special dividend issuance through warrants and a stronger-than-anticipated Q2 2025 earnings report.

Earlier in the year, GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen confirmed the retailer is exploring crypto payments for trading cards and collectibles following a substantial $500 million Bitcoin (BTC) acquisition.

Cohen characterized the BTC purchase as a hedge against inflation, signaling a cautious but serious corporate interest in digital assets. This pivot follows the companys earlier, less successful forays into NFTs and wallets, which were shuttered due to a challenging regulatory environment.

Meanwhile, the Ethereum layer-2 project Linea is facing its own drama. In the spotlight following the launch of its native LINEA token and listings on Binance and CoinEx, among other major exchanges, it plunged nearly 35% in the past week, hitting a new all-time low of $0.02265 on September 10.

Altcoin Performance and Market Outlook

Solana (SOL) is also making waves on the back of its frequent appearance “in the context of liquidity and market cap values” of various assets on the network. In the market, it has demonstrated notable stability, consolidating around the $222 mark with a 24-hour trading volume exceeding $9.4 billion, and a nearly 8% jump in price in the last seven days.

However, there’s a stark difference in the social sentiment and on-chain performance of another trending asset, ApeCoin (APE). While it has caught a buzz following its launch and expansion onto the Solana blockchain, APE has struggled in the market, slipping 7.4% in the past week to $0.606. It also remains down 24% over the past year and almost 98% below its 2022 peak.

In contrast, Avalanche (AVAX) is attempting to build headway. The world’s 21st-largest crypto by market cap is a hot topic due to its “bullish momentum, breakout price activity, and strong technical indicators.” Priced at $28.80 at the time of this writing, it has oscillated between $23.93 and $29.45 in the last week, and is up almost 17% in that period.

Over the past 24 hours, the asset gained 7.3% on its price, with analysts suggesting that since it has now broken above $27, the door could be open for a run to $40, with rising network activity, amounting to 35.8 million transactions on its C-Chain last month, providing a favorable backdrop.