- Cardano faces short-term pressure after whales sold 100 million ADA, while trading and DeFi activity show signs of slowing.
- Upcoming ETF decisions and network upgrades could support a potential recovery.
Cardano price is under fresh pressure after a significant whale sell-off shook the market. Heavy selling activity and declining trading volumes have triggered cautious sentiment among investors.
Whale Activity Triggers Short-Term Volatility
On October 29, on-chain analyst Ali Martinez reported that whales offloaded 100 million ADA, roughly $65 million, within just three days. Large sell-offs like this can spark short-term price swings, but they do not necessarily indicate long-term weakness. Often, the market stabilizes as smaller investors step in once prices settle.
100 million Cardano $ADA sold by whales in 72 hours! pic.twitter.com/2VXsZnx90m
— Ali (@ali_charts) October 29, 2025
At the time of writing, Cardano was trading at $0.6404, down 0.7% over the previous day. Despite a weekly gain of about 1.7%, ADA remains roughly 20% lower over the past month. The token has fluctuated within a 7-day range of $0.6303 to $0.6905, suggesting a phase of cautious trading after recent volatility.
Decline in Trading and DeFi Activity
Trading volumes are cooling. Cardano’s 24-hour volume fell by 6.3% to $1.39 billion, signaling lower market participation. Interestingly, futures volume jumped nearly 35% to $2.11 billion, though open interest dipped slightly to $705.83 million. This trend reflects traders rotating positions rather than committing to a clear direction.
The broader Cardano ecosystem also shows signs of strain. Total value locked in DeFi fell from $360 million in early October to $280 million, while decentralized exchange volumes dropped from $125 million in July to $85 million this month. The stablecoin market cap now stands at $38.5 million, highlighting a slowdown in on-chain activity.
Potential Catalysts for Recovery
Despite short-term challenges, upcoming events could support a rebound. The Securities and Exchange Commission’s decision on Grayscale’s spot ADA ETF may attract institutional investment, similar to Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs. Technical upgrades like Ouroboros Leios and Hydra layer-2 aim to improve scalability and reduce costs. Investors will also watch for governance updates and enterprise adoption announcements at the Cardano Summit 2025 in November.
Technical Outlook for ADA
Cardano’s technical indicators remain mixed but slightly bearish. The relative strength index sits at 40, showing weak momentum without being oversold. Most moving averages signal sell, with prices trading below key trend levels. Immediate support is near $0.578, while resistance lies between $0.665 and $0.752. A sustained break above $0.665 could trigger a rebound toward $0.75, whereas falling below $0.578 may open the path to deeper losses.
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