Cardano (ADA) has been experiencing a period of fluctuating price action. Despite efforts to recover, ADA has faced challenges in maintaining its upward momentum.
While the altcoin has held onto an uptrend since the beginning of the month, it now faces a challenge. Traders may be pulled back from participating, potentially stalling any further price recovery.
Cardano Traders Are In Trouble
The sentiment around Cardano (ADA) is mixed. According to the Liquidation Map, short traders are at a disadvantage if ADA continues its uptrend. A breach of $0.77 would lead to the liquidation of approximately $20 million worth of short contracts.
This could result in upward pressure on the price as shorts are forced to close their positions.
However, without strong bullish momentum, this upside potential may not materialize, keeping traders cautious. While short traders could face substantial losses if ADA rises, this risk does not necessarily mean that the uptrend is sustainable.
Overall, Cardano’s market momentum reflects a sense of uncertainty. The number of active addresses on the network has recently dropped to a four-month low of 20,700. This decline in investor participation indicates a lack of enthusiasm among ADA holders. Many investors are seemingly pulling back, waiting for clearer signals of recovery before re-engaging with the token.
This lack of participation has had a negative impact on Cardano’s liquidity and transaction volume, further influencing its price dynamics. The decreasing number of active addresses also suggests that traders are hesitant to invest in ADA, which could slow down any potential price recovery.
Cardano is currently trading at $0.70, holding above the support level of $0.70, and the uptrend line has supported the price since early March. The immediate target for ADA is to breach the $0.77 resistance level, but this remains a challenge. Achieving this would require a rise of approximately 9%, which may be difficult under the current market conditions.
In the absence of a broader market rally, ADA is likely to remain consolidated under the $0.77 resistance. Should the altcoin fail to hold the $0.70 support, it could experience a decline, potentially falling to $0.62. This would invalidate the recent bullish outlook, further dampening investor confidence.
If ADA successfully breaches the $0.77 resistance, it could rise to $0.85, thereby invalidating the bearish thesis. Such a move would likely signal a more sustained recovery, as it would clear a significant hurdle for Cardano.
There has been a sharp decline in daily active addresses across Smart Contract Platforms (SCPs) in recent months, raising concerns among investors and developers.
Meanwhile, Ethereum’s Pectra Upgrade could be the turning point, with crypto analyst Jamie Coutts calling the current state a cleansing of the ecosystem.
SCPs See Sharp Decline in Active Users
Jamie Coutts, who built Bloomberg Intelligence’s crypto research product, says this is the worst decline ever recorded in the history of SCPs.
He also notes that it is far worse than the 2022-2023 bear market, with daily active addresses dropping 40.5% in just five months.
“This is the largest usage collapse in SCP history,” wrote Coutts.
Coutts’ analysis provides a deeper look at the broader crypto ecosystem, which is simultaneously witnessing an uptick in global liquidity and an all-time high in stablecoin market cap.
While the sector seems to be experiencing a shakeout, Coutts says this decline does not indicate the death of smart contract platforms. Rather, it is a necessary cleansing of the ecosystem.
The analyst attributes the drop in daily active addresses to several key factors, including the rise of artificial activity.
“Much of the past cycle’s growth was artificial: Usage inflated by bots and Sybil farms, Incentive programs created temporary traction without stickiness. The unwind reflects a cleansing of fake activity, not the death of the sector,” Coutts explains.
The rise of bots and Sybil attacks, where bad actors create multiple fake identities to manipulate a platform’s usage metrics, has artificially inflated the activity numbers across various smart contract platforms.
Now, as these fake users are being weeded out, the real growth potential of SCPs is becoming clearer.
Moreover, this trend suggests that SCPs with weak application ecosystems or limited use cases will face significant valuation compression. This is especially true without stablecoin integration or real-world asset (RWA) applications.
Coutts notes that many SCP tokens risk valuation compression if their platforms do not offer high throughput, low-cost, and real settlement capabilities.
The market will likely reward mature platforms capable of supporting real economic activity. These include stablecoin transactions, payments, and AI-native applications.
“…going forward, value will concentrate in platforms that enable high-throughput, low-cost, real settlement and agentic automation,” he added.
Ethereum Staking Surge Post-Pectra
Interestingly, these predictions align with the recent Ethereum Pectra upgrade, which went live on May 7, 2025.
The Pectra upgrade introduces key features that could help Ethereum, the largest smart contract platform, stay ahead in this playing field. Specifically, the upgrade improves Ethereum’s staking model and validator operations.
CryptoQuant recently indicated a notable spike in ETH staking around the Pectra Upgrade news. Specifically, before the Pectra upgrade news, ETH staking saw a net outflow of around 1.02 million ETH, reflecting uncertainty.
However, after the news, staking rebounded with a 627,000 ETH inflow, signaling renewed market confidence in the Ethereum staking ecosystem.
“Before Pectra News (Nov 16 – Feb 15): ETH staking dropped from ≈34.88M to 33.86M ETH, a net outflow of ~1.02M ETH. This period reflects market uncertainty and mild unwinding of staking positions ahead of the upgrade. After Pectra News (Feb 16 – May 16): Total ETH staked rose from 33.78M to 34.41M ETH — a net inflow of ~627K ETH. Indicates renewed confidence in the staking process following the upgrade,” wrote CryptoQuant analyst Kripto Mevsimi.
ETH Staking before and after Pectra Upgrade news. Source: CryptoQuant
In the same tone, Bohdan Opryshko, co-founder and COO at Everstake, told BeInCrypto that the Pectra upgrade may be Ethereum’s most institution-friendly update. He says the upgrade is the clearest signal that Ethereum is ready for conservative capital.
“For the first time, institutions can stake at scale with operational clarity and reduced complexity. It’s a green light for conservative capital to get involved in native Ethereum staking,” Opryshko told BeInCrypto.
Further, Pectra’s introduction of smart accounts allows Ethereum wallets to execute smart contract logic. This could drive stablecoin integration.
At the same time, it could enhance scalability. This would make Ethereum better suited to handle real economic activities such as payments and financial transactions.
Nevertheless, Coutts highlighted a divergence between price action and network activity, a common phenomenon in the crypto space. While markets stabilize, activity on many SCPs remains stagnant.
Coutts notes that this divergence will not last. More sophisticated capital will increasingly flow toward platforms that anchor real economic behavior, especially via stablecoin flows and payments.
“Markets may be stabilizing, but activity is not,” More sophisticated capital will increasingly rotate toward chains that anchor real economic behavior, especially via stablecoin flows, payments, and AI-native applications,” Coutts says.
Finally, Coutts predicts that a liquidity-driven rally will return, fueled by the significant liquidity expected to enter the system in the coming months.
However, he cautions that the value will likely accrue to a subset of SCPs that can deliver tangible value through real-world applications and stablecoin integration. This sentiment aligns with the structural upgrades brought by Ethereum’s Pectra fork.
President Donald Trump is set to speak at the Digital Asset Summit (DAS) in New York on March 20.
This is the first time a sitting US president will participate in a crypto conference.
Donald Trump to Make Historic Appearance at the Digital Asset Summit
Earlier this month, Donald Trump hosted the first-ever White House Crypto Summit. Although the community wasn’t particularly happy with the developments at the summit, it gave several significant updates on the US Bitcoin Reserve and the government’s current regulatory stance.
Reports indicate that Trump’s appearance may not be live. Some sources suggest he could deliver a pre-recorded message instead.
Either way, this marks the first time an active US president is set to formally address a crypto conference.
“Got some clarity on this — multiple sources on the ground at the DAS Conference tell me President Trump is/was planning to livestream into the conference at some point today or tomorrow to address the crowd. I’m told this may yet happen but could also be done via a taped recoding,” wrote Eleanor Terrett.
The summit will also feature key lawmakers, including Representatives Ro Khanna and Tom Emmer, alongside industry leaders such as MicroStrategy’s Michael Saylor and Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse.
The crypto market has shown signs of recovery this week. Earlier today, the Feds announced that it won’t hold any rate cuts currently. Yet, two more rate cuts are planned for later this year.
Trump’s address at DAS could have further implications. If he signals a more favorable regulatory approach to digital assets, the market could respond positively.
Bitcoin (BTC) is up nearly 12% over the past seven days, gaining momentum as it reclaims key technical levels and approaches major resistance zones. The recent price surge has been supported by a slight recovery in the number of Bitcoin whale addresses, hinting at renewed accumulation from large holders.
Technical indicators like the Ichimoku Cloud and EMA lines point to a strong uptrend, with bullish formations suggesting continued buyer control. As BTC flirts with the $100,000 mark again, whale activity and chart signals will determine whether this rally has more room to run.
Subtle Accumulation: What the Rise in BTC Whales Could Mean
The number of Bitcoin whales—wallets holding between 1,000 and 10,000 BTC—has been trying to recover over the past few days, showing subtle but notable movement.
There are 2,006 BTC whale addresses, slightly higher than the 2,000 recorded on April 21. The count briefly rose to 2,005 on April 22 before dipping to 2,002 the next day, and now it’s back above that level.
While these daily fluctuations may seem minor, they often reflect deeper shifts in sentiment and positioning among some of the largest players in the crypto market. The recent stabilization suggests that accumulation might be picking up again after a period of distribution or hesitation.
Tracking whale activity is important because these entities tend to have an outsized influence on market trends. Whether institutional investors, long-term holders, or high-net-worth individuals, whales often act with a level of strategic insight and patience that retail investors can’t always match.
Their behavior can signal confidence or caution in the broader market. The number of whale addresses showing a slight upward trend could indicate renewed interest in accumulating Bitcoin at current levels.
This might not immediately translate to a sharp price move. Still, it does add a layer of underlying support to the market, potentially reducing downside risk and paving the way for more sustained bullish momentum if broader conditions align.
The price trades above the blue conversion line (Tenkan-sen) and the red baseline (Kijun-sen), indicating short-term strength and trend alignment.
These lines have acted as dynamic support levels throughout the recent move, with price bouncing off them multiple times in recent candles. This suggests that buyers remain in control, and any dips have been met with demand.
The green cloud (Kumo) ahead is thick and rising, signaling a strong support zone and a positive trend outlook.
The distance between the red and green boundaries of the cloud also suggests expanding volatility, which tends to support stronger directional moves.
Because the price is well above the cloud and all key Ichimoku components are aligned in bullish formation, the current setup supports the idea of an ongoing uptrend—at least in the short to mid-term—unless price sharply reverses and closes below the blue and red lines.
Will Bitcoin Break Above $100,000 Before May?
Bitcoin recently broke above the $90,000 mark for the first time since early March.
Its EMA lines support the bullish narrative, with all short-term moving averages positioned above the long-term ones and spaced widely apart—often a hallmark of a strong uptrend.
Bitcoin price could challenge key resistance levels at $96,484 and $99,472 if this momentum continues. A break above those could open the door for a push past the psychological $100,000 mark, with the next major target near $102,694—the highest level since early February.
However, there’s still room for caution. It may lose its short-term footing if Bitcoin retests and fails to hold the support level at $92,920.
In that case, price could slide toward $88,839, and if a downtrend takes shape, further losses down to $86,533 become more likely.
