TRON Is One of the Few Big Coins Up Over Two Weeks. Is TRX a Better Buy Than Ethereum?
While most major cryptocurrencies tumbled over the past two weeks, TRON barely moved, and that unusual calm raises a real question about whether stability or a steep discount makes for the smarter trade right now.
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TRON (CRYPTO:TRX) is one of only four major cryptocurrencies that gained value over the two weeks leading up to October 16, 2026, with the TRX price edging up just 0.1%. By comparison, Ethereum (CRYPTO:ETH) fell 9.3% over the same stretch, hitting a low of $2,313 on October 15, down from a peak of $2,807 on September 21.
Since then, TRON has remained stable. As of October 17, TRX trades at $0.34, up 1.3% over the past week. Meanwhile, Ethereum is priced at $2,428, down 2.6%. This raises the question: Is TRX’s steadier price a better investment, or does Ethereum’s deeper discount make it more attractive?
TRON Maintains Stability While Ethereum Declines
Among the major cryptocurrencies we track, only four posted gains over the past two weeks. Besides TRON, NEAR (CRYPTO:NEAR) rose 8.6%, Polkadot (CRYPTO:DOT) rose 3.4%, and Monero (CRYPTO:XMR), known for its privacy features, gained 3.2%.
Although TRON’s gain was the smallest, its stability stands out more than its growth. Through October 16, TRX rose 1% over seven days and fell 0.03% over the past month, meaning it has seen very little fluctuation.
In stark contrast, Ethereum has faced more volatility. While ETH was up 26.3% over the past 60 days through October 16, it has dropped 18.4% year-to-date and 36.9% from one year ago.
The two cryptocurrencies also differ significantly in size. Ethereum ranks second by market capitalization at $296.61 billion, nearly nine times TRON’s $31.83 billion, which ranks eighth. In trading volume, Ethereum saw $11.59 billion in 24-hour trading, about 36 times TRON’s $318 million.
Stablecoins Explain Why TRON Holds Up
Stablecoins are cryptocurrency tokens pegged to the U.S. dollar and are widely used for quick transfers between wallets and exchanges. Both TRON and Ethereum host a significant amount of stablecoins compared to other blockchains. According to DeFiLlama’s October 2026 rankings, Ethereum leads in stablecoin supply, with TRON second and well ahead of every other network.
However, TRON’s stablecoin base relies heavily on Tether’s dollar token, which traders and businesses in emerging markets use for low-cost transfers. In contrast, Ethereum has a larger and more diverse stablecoin base with several dollar-pegged tokens.
This payment role supports the TRX price: every transaction on TRON consumes network resources, which users access by either staking TRX (locking up coins to help maintain the network) or paying transaction fees in TRX. Steady payment activity creates consistent demand for the coin, regardless of broader market movements. Recently, DeFiLlama has reported a slight increase in TRON’s stablecoin supply over the past week, while Ethereum’s supply has dipped.
TRX Offers Stability, While ETH Offers a Deeper Discount
TRX is currently trading 22.3% below its all-time high of $0.43, reached on December 3, 2024, meaning holders have retained most of their investment value since that peak. However, this smaller discount leaves limited potential for a quick rebound, as TRX would need to rise nearly 29% to set a new record.
In contrast, Ethereum trades 50.9% below its August 2025 peak of $4,946. This deeper discount reflects a year of consistent selling. Still, ETH benefits from a larger stablecoin supply, the second-highest market cap in cryptocurrency, and much higher trading volume, allowing larger investors to buy and sell without greatly affecting the price.
In summary, TRX provides stability tied to one primary function—dollar payments—while ETH offers a broader network with greater volatility at about half its peak value.
Is TRX a Better Buy Than Ethereum?
At these price levels, Ethereum appears to offer more upside potential, while TRON provides greater stability. Over the past two weeks, TRX has held steady during market downturns. However, ETH’s 50.9% gap from its all-time high grants it more room for recovery. Of course, this upside comes with increased volatility, as ETH dropped 17.6% from its September high to its October low.
For ETH to recover, it needs to stay above its October 15 low of $2,313 and reclaim the $2,807 peak from September 21. If it falls below $2,313, the argument for TRON’s stability may tip. For TRX, the key indicator will be the stablecoin supply, since a pattern of weekly declines could dampen its core demand. Conversely, if TRX surpasses $0.43, it may signal a surge in payment demand and attract new buyers.
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Sam Daodu is a crypto analyst and the editor of 24/7 Wall St.'s Crypto Desk, where he covers Bitcoin, XRP, Ethereum, Solana and the altcoins investors search for most. His work focuses on price levels, spot ETF flows, on-chain data and the regulatory decisions that move crypto markets, written so a first-time buyer and a seasoned trader can both use it.
Sam has written about crypto professionally since 2019 and has published more than 2,000 articles. Before joining 24/7 Wall St., he wrote for crypto media outlets and Web3 companies and ghostwrote for crypto founders and token launches. His analysis is syndicated on Yahoo Finance, MSN and AOL and has been cited by other crypto news sites. He also founded MacLabs Marketing, a content and personal branding agency for crypto founders and executives.
When he isn't reading charts, Sam is usually at the gym or watching One Piece, a series he maintains has better tokenomics than most altcoins.
