The Solana-based token PENGUIN surged roughly 564% following a viral post from the White House’s official X, triggering a rapid influx of speculative buying and liquidity. Traders interpreted an AI-generated image captioned “Embrace the penguin” as a symbolic catalyst, and volume and market-cap figures spiked within hours.
The immediate trigger was the White House X post on Jan. 25. Within the same 24-hour window PENGUIN recorded a headline 564% rise in price; some outlets reported substantially larger short-term gains, citing peak claims up to 1,500% and even 17,000% depending on exchange snapshots and token listings. Data published by market trackers showed divergent numbers across platforms, a common feature in micro-cap, low-liquidity tokens.
Because exchange and aggregator feeds update at different cadences, exact peak figures varied. Reporting compiled by MEXC and CoinMarketCap placed the widely cited market-cap and volume moves in the triple-digit‑percentage range, while some local outlets publicized higher extreme estimates.
Those numbers illustrate how an attention event can funnel significant capital into a micro-cap on a fast on‑chain network. Observers noted aggressive whale accumulation during the breakout and prompt profit‑taking afterwards, producing sharp retracements. For market participants, the episode highlighted both the capacity of Solana liquidity to absorb bursts and the fragility of price discovery in memecoin markets.
Expert take and risks
Industry voices framed the move as emblematic of speculative risk-on behavior rather than fundamental adoption. Alon Cohen, co‑founder of the launchpad Pump.fun, said: ‘The early success of PENGUIN is proof that onchain trading was never dead, just a sleeping giant waiting for the right moment.’
Vincent Liu, CIO at Kronos Research, added: ‘Memecoins typically lead when risk appetite returns. The rebound in the Fear and Greed Index from extreme fear toward neutral reinforces this shift.’ These comments underline that the surge reflected a broader, sentiment-driven rotation rather than changes in protocol fundamentals.
Traders and treasuries face clear operational risks: rapid entry during social-media frenzies can leave portfolios exposed to immediate profit-taking, exchange delisting risk, and inconsistent price feeds across venues.
Investors and risk managers are now watching short‑term on‑chain flows, exchange order books and whale activity in the days after the Jan. 25, 2026 surge to assess whether liquidity will sustain or evaporate. Those metrics will be the practical test for whether this episode remains a speculative blip or a broader signal of renewed appetite for memecoins.
