1 billion HYPE burn could shock supply – Can Hyperliquid hold $20?

ambcryptoPublished on 2025-12-18Last updated on 2025-12-18

Abstract

Hyperliquid (HYPE) is showing notable activity as its price slipped below $30 but remained up 3% following a proposal from The Hyper Foundation to burn 1 billion HYPE tokens from the Assistance Fund. If approved by validators on December 24, this burn could cause a supply shock, potentially driving prices upward. However, current market conditions show weak demand, with HYPE down 56% from recent highs and approaching a critical support level at $20. Perpetual futures volume has also dropped sharply. Additionally, an upcoming token unlock of 10 million HYPE in December may introduce short-term selling pressure, partially counteracting the positive impact of the proposed token burn.

Hyperliquid [HYPE] is showing notable fundamental activity.

The token slipped below the $30 level but remained up more than 3% on the day at press time. This modest rally followed a proposal from The Hyper Foundation aimed at reducing supply.

The key question now is whether this move will drive prices higher, or if the upcoming December unlocks will counteract the effect.

Hyper Foundation proposes to burn 1B HYPE

The Assistance Fund held 1 billion HYPE tokens, which the Hyper Foundation proposed to burn. Validators will signal their intention for governance on December 21st, with voting results expected on December 24th, when users can start staking.

At press time, the Assistance Fund held more than a billion tokens valued at more than $37 billion.

If the Foundation’s proposal prevails in the voting stage, it will significantly decrease the total and circulating supply, indicating a positive outlook.

Due to the magnitude of the tokens burned, a supply shock would follow. When supply reduces and meets rising demand, prices tend to move up, a classic trend in supply dynamics.

However, the current scenario did not show evidence of demand, as price and activity were in decline.

Will bulls defend the $20 zone?

On the charts, the HYPE price was breaking lower levels, aligning with the broader crypto market. The altcoin breached the $35 zone, which had previously prevented further breakdown more than five times.

After hitting $27, HYPE was down about 56% and looked headed toward the critical support at $20. However, the shift in supply dynamics could change this outlook.

The $20 level served as both a psychological marker and a previous higher high from April. As such, it represented a potential turning point if the bulls could defend the zone.

HYPE’s price weakness mirrored a sharp drop in Perpetual Futures (Perps) volume. Once accounting for 57% of the market, Perps volume has fallen to just 16%, as of writing.

In practical terms, trading volume declined from a mid‐October peak of about $30 billion to roughly $8 billion.

On the other hand, the Spot Volume was around $200 million from levels above $1.2 billion when HYPE was rallying.

As its activities and prices fall, more selling pressure appears to be building.

Upcoming sell pressure from unlock

While the proposal could help turn around the price direction, the upcoming HYPE token unlocks for December posed a problem.

According to a post by Ali Charts, an additional 10 million tokens will enter the market, bringing the total unlocked since November to 20 million.

While this may not fully offset the impact of burning 1 billion tokens, the increase in circulating supply could still create short‐term selling pressure.


Final Thoughts

  • HYPE proposes to burn about 1 billion tokens and has opened the voting
  • HYPE price struggles as it looks headed toward $20, though a reversal seemed possible given the potential shift in supply dynamics.

Related Questions

QWhat is the main proposal from The Hyper Foundation regarding HYPE tokens?

AThe Hyper Foundation has proposed to burn 1 billion HYPE tokens currently held by the Assistance Fund.

QWhat is the key price level that bulls are trying to defend for HYPE?

ABulls are trying to defend the critical support and psychological level at $20.

QWhat potential market effect could the token burn have if approved?

AThe burn of 1 billion tokens could create a supply shock, which, if met with rising demand, could drive prices higher.

QWhat is a significant factor that could create selling pressure and counteract the positive effect of the burn?

AThe upcoming unlock of an additional 10 million tokens in December could create short-term selling pressure.

QHow has the trading volume for HYPE Perpetual Futures (Perps) changed recently?

AThe Perpetual Futures volume has sharply dropped from a peak of 57% of the market to just 16%.

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