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 who's spent nearly a decade making blockchain understandable—no easy task when most whitepapers read like fever dreams. He writes for 24/7 Wall St., covering Bitcoin, altcoins, and crypto market analysis for investors. Before crypto, he was a tech writer (back when explaining "the cloud" was peak innovation). Since 2018, he's written for CoinTelegraph, Yahoo Finance, The Block, Cryptonews, Zypto, Rain, and more—basically anywhere people want crypto news without the headache. Sam runs MacLabs Marketing, a content agency for crypto brands tired of sounding like AI wrote their website. He also publishes free crypto education on his site for Web3 enthusiasts who think "gas fees" is a typo. When he's not writing or staring at charts, Sam's either: - Watching anime (currently convinced One Piece has better tokenomics than most altcoins) - At the gym sculpting himself into a Greek god - Listening to the music your mum warned you only bad boys listen to Connect: LinkedIn | Email | MacLabs Marketing
