Meme coins named after “Kekius Maximus” surged late Sunday night after tech mogul Elon Musk mentioned it in an X post.

What happened: Ethereum ETH/USD-based Kekius Maximus (KEKIUS) jumped 10% in a matter of minutes after Musk's post, according to CoinMarketCap. The coin's market valuation hit $32.97 million, reflecting a 1.07% spike in the 24-hour period.

Another similarly-named coin, KEKIUS, based on Solana SOL/USD but with a considerably smaller valuation, rose 9.5% since the post.

The rally comes after Musk posted a clip from what appeared to be the video game “Path of Exile.”

"Kekius Maximus pit level 117, hardcore rank 1," Musk wrote, showing a character named Kekius Maximus in combat.

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Why It Matters: Kekius Maximus—a combination of “Pepe the Frog” and "Maximus Decimus Meridius," the iconic character from the movie Gladiator—shot to prominence after Musk used it as his X profile name on New Year’s Eve 2024.

Since then, the coin has experienced brief bursts of dramatic growth, aided by Musk's social media activity. Last month, Musk changed his X profile name to Kekius Maximus and updated his profile picture, depicting him as an ancient warrior called "Emperor Kekius Maximus."

Benzinga Note: Investing in meme coins is highly speculative and involves significant risk. Meme coins often lack intrinsic value and are driven by market sentiment, social media trends, and speculative trading

Photo Courtesy: Frederic Legrand – COMEO On Shutterstock.com

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