Avalanche (AVAX) price has been unable to reclaim the $20.00 support level after falling through it in the recent correction. The altcoin is now trading well below that key mark despite a noticeable decline in selling pressure.
However, bullish momentum has not been strong enough to counter prevailing bearish cues.
Avalanche Investors Are Not Selling
Analyzing the active address profitability reveals that less than 3% of current participants are in profit. This data highlights a crucial detail: most AVAX holders are unwilling to sell at a loss. Instead, they appear to be HODLing in anticipation of a recovery. This lack of selling is a bullish indicator.
The patience shown by investors during this downturn could help Avalanche establish a stronger base once broader market conditions stabilize. As fewer holders are actively selling, downward pressure on AVAX’s price is reduced. Given the right market catalysts, this opens a window for the altcoin to bounce back.
Avalanche Addresses by Profitability. Source: IntoTheBlock
Despite low selling activity, the technical indicators continue to signal weakness. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) has dropped back into the bearish zone after a brief recovery attempt. This suggests a lack of buying pressure and continued uncertainty among investors.
Market support has been lacking for AVAX in recent sessions, preventing a meaningful rebound. The altcoin is facing consistent resistance and has failed to generate strong upward momentum.
The RSI trend reinforces that the macro environment is still leaning bearish, keeping Avalanche subdued.
Avalanche is currently priced at $17.19, marking a 25% decline over the past two weeks. The sharp drop came after AVAX failed to break through the $22.87 resistance level. This rejection led to the current consolidation below $20.00, with bulls unable to reverse the trend.
Given the existing market cues, Avalanche may struggle to reclaim $18.27 as a support level. If the altcoin fails to secure this level, it risks dropping further to $16.25. This would deepen investor losses and delay any chances of recovery.
On the upside, a key shift would occur if AVAX can flip $19.86 into support. This would suggest strengthening bullish sentiment and open the door for a rally toward $22.87. Reclaiming this level could allow Avalanche to recover some recent losses and restore investor confidence.
The price of SUI has seen a significant uptick recently, outshining XRP in terms of growth and demand. However, it’s not just the price action that’s noteworthy. In May, SUI has drawn the attention of institutional investors, marking a shift in demand that could have long-term implications for the crypto market.
As institutional inflows flow more freely into SUI, the focus shifts from its price performance to its potential as a Web3-focused ecosystem.
SUI Sees A Surge In Demand
Institutions are increasingly flocking to SUI, as evidenced by $21 million in inflows month-to-date, making it one of the top-performing altcoins, second only to Ethereum. In comparison, XRP, historically an institutional favorite, has seen inflows of just $8.6 million in the same period.
This shift is concerning for XRP as institutions begin to focus more on SUI’s potential rather than its established presence in the market. SUI’s appeal to institutional investors is based on its scalability and focus on the Web3 space, which aligns well with current trends in decentralized finance (DeFi) and blockchain-based applications.
SUI vs XRP Institutional Flows. Source; CoinShares
SUI’s increasing institutional inflows highlight a growing preference for projects that offer more than just financial transactions. XRP, while still maintaining institutional backing with $263 million in 2025, has not been able to capture as much attention in recent weeks. SUI’s ability to scale decentralized applications (dApps) more effectively than XRP positions it as a better choice for institutions looking to align with long-term trends in blockchain technology.
XRP Makes It To CME
One key factor driving institutions to SUI is its lack of listing on major platforms like CME, unlike XRP Futures, which further solidifies its untapped potential. XRP Futures recently launched on CME, making the token more accessible to a wider range of investors.
However, this development also diminishes XRP’s image as an overlooked asset, giving SUI a unique advantage by remaining relatively underexposed. As more investors seek high-growth opportunities, SUI offers them the chance to get in early before the token is fully accessible on major platforms.
SUI’s decentralized, Web3-focused design also plays a large role in its growing appeal. Unlike XRP, which is predominantly centered around payment and remittance solutions, SUI focuses on scaling dApp ecosystems, a feature highly sought after by institutions entering the Web3 space. This increased focus on scalability and decentralized applications positions SUI as an ideal choice for institutions looking to diversify their blockchain investments.
SUI vs XRP – Which Has A Better ETF Prospect?
XRP has its own advantages, especially regarding the potential for exchange-traded funds (ETFs). XRP’s status as an established digital asset gives it an edge when it comes to ETF approvals. The ongoing Ripple lawsuit also seems close to a resolution, pending court proceedings, likely boosting XRP’s clean image.
The SEC’s settlement with Ripple would increase investor confidence in XRP, giving it a stable footing in the long term. However, for the time being, SUI’s scalability and Web3 ambitions have won the attention of institutional investors, pushing it ahead of XRP in terms of demand. Nevertheless, XRP ETF will likely see the light of day first.
Furthermore, Juan Pellicer, Head of Research at Sentora, discussed with BeInCrypto the major factors that could push XRP for an early ETF.
“XRP’s decade-long trading record and early ETF filings put it first in the regulatory queue, while Sui still needs deeper liquidity and a longer track-record before the SEC is likely comfortable green-lighting a SUI ETF.”
XRP Price Needs A Boost
XRP has risen by 14% over the last 30 days, but it is still fighting against a macro downtrend. The broader market conditions make a breakout rally unlikely, with XRP struggling under resistance levels.
The current price range for XRP is facing challenges, as a lack of bullish momentum continues to hold it back. However, if XRP follows Bitcoin’s rise and leverages its CME debut hype, it could see an increase in price, potentially reaching $2.56 and beyond. A breakout above this level would end the downtrend and allow XRP to surge higher.
But if XRP fails to breach this resistance level, it risks further consolidation. This would likely send it toward a drop to $2.12, falling through $2.27, invalidating any bullish predictions for the short term.
SUI Price Wins This Round
SUI has shown an impressive 82% rise over the past month, trading at $3.85 at the time of writing. Despite encountering resistance at $4.05, SUI has yet to see a significant correction, suggesting continued bullish momentum.
Given the ongoing demand for SUI, its price is expected to stay above $3.59, allowing it to break through the $4.05 resistance. A breach of this level could propel SUI towards $4.35 or higher.
On the other hand, a drop below the support level of $3.59 would suggest that investors are beginning to book profits. In that case, the price could fall to $3.18, invalidating the current bullish outlook for SUI. However, based on institutional demand and SUI’s infrastructure, it appears likely that its price will continue to rise in the short to medium term.
Today, approximately $8.05 billion worth of Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) options expire, prompting crypto market participants to brace for volatility.
Traders and investors should be particularly attentive to today’s options expiry due to its volume and notional value, increasing the odds of potential influence on short-term trends. However, the put-to-call ratios and maximum pain points provide insight into what can be expected and the possible market directions.
Insights on Today’s Expiring Bitcoin and Ethereum Options
The notional value of today’s expiring Bitcoin options is $7.24 billion. According to Deribit’s data, these 77,642 expiring Bitcoin options have a put-to-call ratio 0.73. This ratio suggests a prevalence of purchase options (calls) over sales options (puts).
The data also reveals that the maximum pain point for these expiring options is $86,000. In crypto options trading, the maximum pain point is the price at which the asset will cause the greatest number of holders’ financial losses.
In addition to Bitcoin options, 458,926 Ethereum options contracts are set to expire today. These expiring options have a notional value of $808.3 million, a put-to-call ratio of 0.74, and a maximum pain point of $1,900.
The number of today’s expiring Ethereum options was significantly higher than last week. BeInCrypto reported that last week’s expired ETH options were 177,130 contracts, with a notional value of $279.789 million.
As of this writing, Bitcoin was trading well above its maximum pain level of $86,000 at $93,471. Meanwhile, Ethereum was trading below its strike price of $1,900 at $1,764.
“BTC trades above max pain, ETH below. Positioning into expiry is anything but aligned,” Deribit analysts remarked.
With the max pain level (also called strike price) often acting as a magnet for price due to smart money actions, both Bitcoin and Ethereum could pull towards their respective levels.
The positioning of both BTC and ETH open interest indicates high trader activity near max pain. The dense clustering of their respective histograms around $80,000 to $90,000 for Bitcoin and around $1,800 to $2,000 for Ethereum shows this.
This positioning suggests potential for short-term price consolidation or volatility.
Polymarket: Only 16% Chance Bitcoin Price Hits $100,000 in April
According to Deribit, traders are selling cash-secured put options on Bitcoin. Further, they are using stablecoins to collect premiums while positioning to buy BTC at lower prices. This reflects a long-term bullish outlook.
“BTC traders on Deribit are expressing long-term bullish sentiment, selling cash-secured puts using stablecoins to potentially buy the dip and collect yield,” Deribit wrote.
Analysts on Deribit also note the highest open interest for BTC options around the $100,000 strike price. This indicates strong market expectations of Bitcoin reaching this level.
Nevertheless, data on the Polymarket prediction platform shows traders estimating only a 16% chance of BTC hitting $100,000 in April.
Another interesting observation is that the Cumulative delta (CD) across BTC and related ETF (exchange-traded fund) options on Deribit reached $9 billion. While this shows high sensitivity to Bitcoin price changes, it also suggests potential volatility as market makers hedge their positions.
Notwithstanding, Deribit analysts also reveal a surge in Bitcoin call option buying for April to June 2025 expiries. Investors are reportedly targeting strikes between $90,000 and $110,000, a sentiment inspired by Bitcoin’s price breaking above 89,000.
Nevertheless, not all activity leading up to Bitcoin’s recovery was new money or a fresh capital influx. According to an analysis by Deribit’s Tony Stewart, half of it involved rolling up existing positions, indicating strategic adjustments by traders.
BNB Chain announced a major upgrade, the Pascal Hardfork, slated for March 20. The upgrade improves Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) compatibility, smart contract wallets, and developer flexibility.
This upgrade follows the recent Ethereum Sepolia Testnet upgrade to Pectra, highlighting the rapid pace of blockchain development.
BNB Chain Announces Pascal Hardfork
BNB Chain revealed the update in a post on X (Twitter), noting that the Pascal Hardfork will improve user experience and developer efficiency on the Binance Smart Chain (BSC).
One of its most significant implementations of the Pascal Hardfork is EIP-7702 (Ethereum Improvement Proposal 7702). The upgrade potentially puts the network at the forefront of EVM-compatible chains.
“This makes it [BNB Chain] one of the earliest chains to adopt this EVM upgrade,” the network stated.
According to the announcement, Pascal Hardfork will allow wallets to function as smart contracts. This would unlock several benefits, including delivering gasless transactions.
With this upgrade, users can pay for gas fees more flexibly, improving accessibility.
The Pascal upgrade will also deliver batch approvals and swaps, meaning transactions can be grouped. This would reduce costs and make DeFi interactions smoother.
Binance founder and former CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) acknowledged the Pascal upgrade, calling it an “Important Hardfork.” Meanwhile, BNB Chain hinted that beyond Pascal Hardfork, other upgrades are in the pipeline.
It cited the Lorentz Hardfork, slated for April 2025 and expected to deliver faster blocks at 1.5 seconds transaction speed.
Additionally, the Maxwell Hardfork, due in June 2025, would make the BNB Chain significantly faster, with a transaction speed of 0.75 seconds.
“Lorentz at 1.5s blocks? Solana already does 0.4s. But Maxwell at 0.75s… BNB’s roadmap is evolution on crack,” a user on X quipped.
In a broader context, this announcement comes only days after Ethereum’s Sepolia Testnet implemented the Pectra upgrade. BeInCrypto reported that this upgrade enhances Ethereum’s EVM functionality and smart contract capabilities.
Therefore, BNB Chain’s timing signals growing competition among blockchain networks.
Despite the positive developments, BNB price remains largely unaffected today.
However, BNB remains a more resilient asset among the top cryptocurrencies. The altcoin saw a 2% gain in the past month, while all the major tokens, such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana, saw double-digit losses.
