Solana, one of the prominent cryptocurrencies in the market, has seen a remarkable surge in its price, soaring 40% this week to establish a new 2023 high at around $58.
This impressive rally marks Solana’s best weekly performance since January 2023, driven by a confluence of factors, including a general uptrend in the cryptocurrency market, Bitcoin ETF euphoria, and growing investor appetite for risk.
The rise of Solana, despite ongoing sales of SOL tokens by FTX’s bankruptcy estate, reflects the market’s resilience and growing confidence in Solana’s potential as a leading digital asset.
Overcoming Market Challenges
Solana’s bullish trajectory has been particularly noteworthy given the backdrop of FTX’s bankruptcy estate selling 250,000-750,000 SOL tokens daily in the last two weeks.
Despite fears of a potential market dump following the approval by the Delaware Bankruptcy Court to sell 55.75 million SOL tokens in September 2023, the market has absorbed these sales with minimal impact.
This resilience can be attributed to the fact that some of these tokens are either vested or locked, and the weekly sale limit is capped at $100 million.
Instead of dampening investor spirits, these developments have transformed initial fears into enthusiasm, with Solana-focused funds witnessing inflows worth $10.80 million in the week ending November 3, according to data from CoinShares.
The Bitcoin ETF Factor
Another key driver of Solana’s price surge is the overall cryptocurrency market uptrend, fueled in part by the euphoria surrounding Bitcoin ETFs.
Bitcoin’s climb toward $38,000 has set a bullish tone for the entire market, with Solana emerging as the top performer in the past 30 days.
The anticipation and optimism for the approval of major Bitcoin spot ETF applications by January 2024 have contributed to this positive sentiment, benefiting Solana and other altcoins in the process.
Solana’s Futures Open Interest and Funding Rate Surge
A significant factor in Solana’s price surge has been the rise in its futures open interest (OI), reaching around $772 million on November 11, the highest since its record high in November 2021.
High OI levels indicate a growing interest and potentially greater liquidity in the Solana market.
Additionally, the increase in Solana’s funding rate, a fee paid by one side of the perpetual contracts to the other every 8 hours, suggests that long positions (buyers) dominate the market.
The recent rise in SOL’s funding rate to 0.035% per eight hours implies a strong bullish sentiment among investors.
Technical Breakout and Future Prospects
Solana’s recent gains appear to be part of a bullish breakout move. Notably, SOL’s price broke above the horizontal trendline resistance of its ascending triangle channel two weeks ago.
Should this pattern play out, the upside target for SOL’s price before the year’s end is around $90, which would represent a 50% increase from current price levels.
However, the risk of a correction remains, underscored by the weekly relative strength indicator (RSI) reaching its most overbought level since September 2021. This suggests that a correction toward the triangle’s upper trendline near $30 could be on the cards.
Solana’s price surge is a result of multiple factors, including the resilience of the SOL market in the face of token sales by FTX’s bankruptcy estate, the overall cryptocurrency market uptrend led by Bitcoin ETF excitement, and the surge in futures open interest and funding rates.
While the potential for further growth remains, investors should also be cognizant of the risks and potential for market corrections.
As the cryptocurrency landscape continues to evolve, Solana’s performance serves as a testament to the dynamic and ever-changing nature of digital asset markets.
