Onyxcoin (XCN) has plunged by 15% in the past week and is poised to extend its decline as selloffs strengthen.
Adding to the bearish outlook, a key technical indicator is on the brink of forming a death cross, a signal that often precedes deeper price declines.
XCN At Risk of Sharp Decline
BeInCrypto’s assessment of the XCN/USD one-day chart reveals the potential formation of a death cross on its Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD).
This bearish pattern emerges when an asset’s MACD line crosses below the signal line, signaling a shift from bullish to bearish momentum. Such a pattern often precedes significant price drops, especially when accompanied by weakening volume and broader market uncertainty.
At press time, XCN’s MACD line is poised to cross below its signal line. If confirmed, the death cross would indicate intensifying selling pressure and signal the start of a prolonged downtrend.
Moreover, XCN’s double-digit decline over the past week has pushed its price towards its 20-day exponential moving average (EMA). This key moving average measures an asset’s average price over the past 20 days, giving more weight to recent prices.
XCN’s dip toward the 20-day EMA suggests that bulls are losing control, while sellers continue to dominate the market. If XCN’s price fails to hold above the key moving average, it may trigger a deeper correction.
XCN Bears Take Charge
XCN’s looming MACD death cross and its potential decline below the 20-day EM signals a strong shift toward bearish territory. These indicators suggest that bearish momentum is gaining traction, with buyers showing little strength to reverse the current downtrend.
If the decline continues, XCN’s price could fall to $0.0075.
On the other hand, a spike in new demand for XCN will invalidate this bearish outlook. In that case, the token’s price could reverse its ongoing decline, break above $0.0174, and climb to $0.023.
The recent depeg incident involving sUSD from Synthetix has highlighted that this sector remains fraught with risks despite the immense potential of algorithmic stablecoins.
The sUSD incident is not the first to expose the vulnerabilities of algorithmic stablecoins. From technical challenges and regulatory pressures to dwindling community trust, projects in this space must navigate numerous obstacles to survive and thrive.
The Landscape of the Algorithmic Stablecoin Market
Algorithmic stablecoins, which maintain their value without direct asset backing, were once hailed as a breakthrough in decentralized finance (DeFi). However, according to CoinMarketCap data from April 2025, the total stablecoin market capitalization stands at $234 billion, while algorithmic stablecoins account for about $458 million, equivalent to just 0.2%.
This stark disparity reflects the reality that algorithmic stablecoins have yet to gain widespread trust from the community. High-profile failures like the collapse of UST/LUNA in 2022, coupled with regulatory uncertainties such as the EU’s MiCA framework, have fueled skepticism.
More recently, the depeg of Synthetix’s sUSD is a typical example of this model’s inherent risks.
A Deep Dive into Synthetix’s sUSD Depeg
Synthetix is a well-known DeFi protocol celebrated for its synthetic asset system. Within this ecosystem, sUSD is an algorithmic stablecoin designed to peg its value at 1 USD, backed by the SNX token and price data from Chainlink.
However, sUSD has faced significant challenges with a prolonged depeg recently. At the time of BeInCrypto’s report, sUSD was trading at 0.77 USD, which has persisted since late March 2025. The primary cause was a major liquidity provider withdrawing from the sBTC/wBTC pool on Curve, which triggered intense selling pressure on sUSD. This forced users to convert other synthetic assets like sETH or sBTC into sUSD, exacerbating the price decline.
On April 21, 2025, Kain Warwick, the founder of Synthetix, announced on X that the team had implemented an sUSD staking mechanism to address the issue. However, he noted that the mechanism remains manual and lacks a fully functional user interface (UI), which is expected to launch in a few days.
“Update on the sUSD depeg. We have implemented an sUSD staking mechanism but it’s very manual until the UI goes live in a few days. Here was my hot take from discord though,” shared Kain Warwick, founder of Synthetix.
Warwick further stated that if the incentive mechanism (carrot) proves ineffective, Synthetix would adopt stricter measures (stick) to compel stakers in the 420 pool to participate more actively. He emphasized that, with the collective net worth of SNX stakers reaching billions of USD, Synthetix has the financial resources to stabilize sUSD and resume development of derivative products on Layer 1.
No Successfully Algorithmic Stablecoin Project
Before the sUSD depeg incident, the market witnessed the dramatic collapse of UST/LUNA in 2022. UST, Terra’s algorithmic stablecoin, suffered a severe depeg, dragging LUNA’s value down from $120 to near zero. This event caused billions of USD in losses and significantly eroded trust in the algorithmic stablecoin model.
More recently, the ‘Godfather of DeFi’, Andre Cronje, behind Sonic (formerly Fantom), also shifted direction. Sonic initially developed a USD-based algorithmic stablecoin but later pivoted to a stablecoin pegged to the UAE dirham.
“Pretty sure our team cracked algo stable coins today, but previous cycle gave me so much PTSD not sure if we should implement,” Cronje stated.
Beyond technical risks, algorithmic stablecoins face mounting regulatory pressures. The EU’s MiCA regulation, effective since June 2024, imposes strict standards on stablecoin issuers to ensure consumer protection and financial stability. Under MiCA, algorithmic stablecoins are classified as ART (Asset-Referenced Token) or EMT (E-Money Token), requiring projects to meet complex compliance demands.
This intensifies the pressure on developers, especially as other jurisdictions also tighten crypto regulations.
These examples show the vulnerability of algorithmic stablecoins to liquidity shocks and market sentiment, particularly due to their lack of direct asset backing.
The Potential of Algorithmic Stablecoins
Despite the challenges, algorithmic stablecoins still hold developmental potential. A March 2025 post on X by CampbellJAustin suggested that a next-generation decentralized algorithmic stablecoin is feasible if lessons are learned from past failures.
“I actually think a next-gen decentralized algorithmic stablecoin is possible. I also think it will not be done correctly by the crypto community because the primary constraints are economic and risk management, not technological,” CampbellJAustin shared.
However, projects must focus on building more price stability mechanisms, combining algorithms with liquidity safeguards to succeed. Additionally, they should prepare for regulatory requirements, particularly in regions with stringent rules like the EU. Transparency in operations, regular audits, and clear communication with users are crucial to rebuilding community trust.
By addressing these factors, projects in this space can seize the opportunity to regain confidence and drive innovation.
PI has staged a remarkable comeback after plunging to an all-time low of $0.40 on April 5. Amid a broader market recovery over the past week, the altcoin has seen a resurgence in demand, driving its price up 84% from its recent bottom.
With the bulls attempting to strengthen market control, PI could extend its gains in the short term.
Additionally, the histogram bars, which reflect the strength of that momentum, have gradually increased in size over the past few days, highlighting the growing demand for the altcoin.
When an asset’s MACD is set up this way, upward momentum is building, and buyers are gaining control. PI’s MACD crossover is a bullish signal, suggesting the potential for continued price gains as buying pressure increases.
In addition, PI’s positive Balance of Power (BoP) reflects the growing demand for the altcoin. As of this writing, the indicator is at 0.52.
The BoP indicator measures the strength of buyers versus sellers in the market, helping to identify momentum shifts. When its value is positive, buyers are dominating the market over sellers and driving newer price gains.
Is $1 Within Reach?
PI’s ongoing rally has caused its price to trend within an ascending parallel channel. This bullish pattern is formed when an asset’s price consistently moves between two upward-sloping, parallel trendlines.
It signals a sustained uptrend, with PI buyers gradually gaining control while allowing short-term pullbacks. If the rally continues, PI could exchange hands at $0.95.
Michael Saylor’s Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) added 130 Bitcoin (BTC) to its holdings between March 10 and March 16, spending approximately $10.7 million.
The average BTC price for this purchase was $82,981. This marks the company’s smallest Bitcoin purchase since August 2024.
Why are MicroStrategy’s Bitcoin Purchases Becoming Smaller?
As of March 16, MicroStrategy holds 499,226 BTC, worth around $33.1 billion. The company’s overall average cost per Bitcoin stands at approximately $66,000.
Now, with Bitcoin trading lower, this smaller buy raises questions about the firm’s strategy.
“On-chain clues: Is Bitcoin gearing up for a major reversal? Active addresses peak, signaling potential bullish momentum ahead,” Saylor posted on X (formerly Twitter) today.
One possible reason for the limited purchase is that MicroStrategy may be waiting for more capital from its stock offerings.
MicroStrategy finances Bitcoin acquisitions through stock sales and zero-interest convertible notes without selling off other assets.
While this approach has worked so far, the firm’s ability to raise capital depends on maintaining strong financial stability. A sharp rise in liabilities relative to assets could make future financing more difficult.
However, there’s a more concerning reason why MicroStrategy could have made such a small Bitcoin purchase today.
Bitcoin is currently trading just below $83,000, and some analysts suggest the price has not yet bottomed. Arthur Hayes and other experts predict BTC could drop to around $70,000 before the next upward move.