Solana absorbs 98K SOL sell-off – Why price refuses to break

ambcryptoPublished on 2026-01-23Last updated on 2026-01-23

Abstract

A long-term Solana staker has begun a gradual exit, unstaking over 98,000 SOL after nearly two years, resulting in a realized loss exceeding $6.6 million. Despite this distribution, the market has absorbed the selling pressure without a sharp price decline. Solana's price remains range-bound between $120 and $150, with buyers consistently defending the $120–$125 support zone. The daily RSI has softened to around 43.8, indicating weakening momentum but no oversold conditions. Spot Taker CVD shows buyer dominance, absorbing sell pressure without triggering a breakout. Binance top traders maintain a strong long bias, with a Long/Short Ratio of 4.22. Overall, the market reflects a balance between persistent selling and solid demand, lacking decisive directional movement.

A long-term Solana staker has begun a gradual exit after unstaking more than 98,000 SOL following nearly two years of holding.

The wallet originally withdrew the tokens from Binance near cycle highs before committing them to staking.

However, the current exit unfolds at significantly lower prices, locking in a realized loss exceeding $6.6 million. The holder uses a DCA approach rather than a single sell-off, which spreads supply across time.

As a result, the market avoids abrupt liquidation-driven reactions. Still, this steady distribution introduces persistent overhead pressure.

Meanwhile, buyers continue stepping in near support, setting up a clear test between long-term supply and short-term demand.

Solana price compresses inside a familiar range

Solana [SOL] price continued to trade inside a clearly defined range at press time, with buyers repeatedly defending the $120–$125 demand zone. Each dip into this area triggered quick reactions, preventing downside continuation.

However, upside attempts consistently failed near $146–$150, which aligned with the upper boundary of the consolidation box.

Every rally toward that level loses momentum, forcing price back toward the range midpoint. The $135 area acted as a short-term pivot, flipping between support and resistance during recent sessions.

As a result, volatility remained suppressed. Therefore, Solana stayed trapped between $120 and $150, reflecting balance rather than directional control.

Momentum continued to soften as the daily RSI rolled over from recent highs near 70 and drifted lower toward the low-40s.

At the press time, RSI sat around 43.8, confirming weakening upside pressure without signaling oversold conditions. This positioning matters because RSI remains well above the 30 threshold, showing sellers lack dominance.

However, RSI also struggled to reclaim the 50 midline, which caps bullish momentum during consolidation phases. As RSI flattens, it mirrors price compression rather than trend acceleration.

Therefore, momentum points to exhaustion, not breakdown, while buyers continue stepping in before momentum deteriorates further.

Taker demand absorbs sell pressure

Spot Taker CVD over the 90-day window remained buyer-dominant despite visible sell-side distribution from large holders.

Aggressive market buyers continue lifting offers even as long-term exits unfold.

However, price does not expand higher, which signals absorption rather than chase behavior. This dynamic shows buyers meeting supply without forcing breakouts.

Meanwhile, sustained buyer dominance reduces the likelihood of sharp downside continuation. Still, absorption alone does not guarantee upside expansion.

Instead, it stabilizes price while excess supply clears. Therefore, order-flow conditions support range stability rather than immediate directional resolution.

Solana top traders stay aggressively long

Binance top trader positioning remains heavily skewed toward longs despite Solana’s failure to trend.

As of press time, 80.86% of top trader accounts held long positions, while 19.14% remain short.

This imbalance placed the Long/Short Ratio at 4.22, confirming that long exposure outweighs shorts by more than four times. However, the price continues consolidating rather than breaking higher.

The ratio has eased slightly from recent peaks above 4.4, suggesting mild moderation rather than aggressive de-risking. Therefore, trader conviction remains strong, but price structure has yet to confirm it.

To sum up, Solana currently reflects a market absorbing long-term distribution without losing structural support.

Buyers defend key levels, RSI avoids breakdown, taker demand stays active, and top traders remain heavily long. However, the price still lacks expansion.

Until Solana breaks decisively beyond the consolidation range, the market remains balanced between conviction and confirmation.


Final Thoughts

  • Long-term selling pressure persists; however, market structure remains intact as buyers continue absorbing supply.
  • Trader confidence stays elevated, however price still needs expansion to validate bullish expectations.

Trending Cryptos

Related Questions

QWhat was the significance of the 98,000 SOL unstaking event and how did the holder manage the sell-off?

AA long-term Solana staker began a gradual exit by unstaking over 98,000 SOL after nearly two years of holding. Instead of a single sell-off, the holder used a Dollar-Cost Averaging (DCA) approach to spread the supply across time, which avoided abrupt liquidation-driven reactions but introduced persistent overhead pressure.

QWhat is Solana's current price range and key levels as described in the article?

ASolana's price was trading inside a clearly defined range between $120–$125 (demand zone) and $146–$150 (upper boundary). The $135 area acted as a short-term pivot, flipping between support and resistance, reflecting market balance rather than directional control.

QWhat does the RSI level of 43.8 indicate about Solana's momentum?

AThe daily RSI sitting at 43.8 confirms weakening upside pressure without signaling oversold conditions. It remains well above the 30 threshold, showing sellers lack dominance, but struggles to reclaim the 50 midline, indicating exhaustion and price compression rather than trend acceleration.

QHow did spot Taker CVD and market buyers respond to the sell pressure?

ASpot Taker CVD over the 90-day window remained buyer-dominant, with aggressive market buyers lifting offers and absorbing the sell-side distribution from large holders. This absorption dynamic stabilized price without forcing breakouts, supporting range stability rather than immediate directional movement.

QWhat is the positioning of Binance top traders regarding Solana, and what does the Long/Short Ratio indicate?

ABinance top trader positioning remains heavily skewed toward longs, with 80.86% of accounts holding long positions and a Long/Short Ratio of 4.22, meaning long exposure outweighs shorts by more than four times. This shows strong trader conviction, although the price has yet to break out and confirm this bullish sentiment.

Related Reads

After Three Consecutive Quarters of Decline, Can the Crypto Market Find a Window for Stabilization in Q3?

The cryptocurrency market has just concluded its worst-performing quarter since 2022, with total capitalization dropping 12.6% to $2.1 trillion. All core metrics indicate capital is leaving the sector, not just rotating within it. Bitcoin fell 14.2% and Ethereum dropped 25.4% in Q2, breaking their previous correlation with US tech stocks. A key driver is the reversal in US spot Bitcoin ETF flows, which saw a net outflow of approximately $4.67 billion in Q2, including a record monthly outflow near $4.5 billion in June. While recent data suggests long-term holders are accumulating again, sustained ETF outflows mean continued selling pressure. Market focus is now singularly on the Federal Reserve. The upcoming July FOMC meeting is seen as the most critical event for Q3. A dovish signal could support Bitcoin reclaiming a $68,000-$84,000 range, while a hawkish stance might establish a new trading band around $50,000-$56,000. Additionally, regulatory uncertainty persists, with the progress of the crucial *CLARITY Act* stalling in the Senate, reducing its perceived 2026 passage probability to 40-45%. Despite the broad downturn, a few sectors showed growth. Prediction markets saw nominal volume surge 48.7% year-over-year to $113.8 billion, and tokenized collectibles transaction volume rose 143% quarterly to $1.4 billion. The Real-World Asset (RWA) tokenization sector also continued steady growth, now representing ~$28.1 billion in on-chain value. The market's foundation for an extreme crash appears limited, with Bitcoin price hovering near its 200-week moving average. However, the trading paradigm has shifted from narrative-driven speculation to decisions based on price action, policy developments, and interest rate expectations, making a broad sentiment-driven rally unlikely in the near term.

marsbit19h ago

After Three Consecutive Quarters of Decline, Can the Crypto Market Find a Window for Stabilization in Q3?

marsbit19h ago

BIT Trading Moment: BTC Still Suppressed by Weekly 200 EMA, Rejection May Restart Decline; Storage and Semiconductors that Surged Last Night Begin Falling in Evening Trading

**Crypto & Stock Market Wrap: Bitcoin Tests Resistance, Stocks Retreat After AI Surge** Bitcoin consolidates around $66,000, facing key resistance near $68,000—an area seen as a major psychological and technical hurdle where previous rallies have failed. Analysts note the cryptocurrency is caught between its 200-week moving average (~$63,333) and 200-week EMA (~$68,328). A clear break above $68k is needed to signal a stronger bullish trend, while a rejection could lead to a retest of $63k support. Market sentiment remains cautious, with low futures open interest pointing to a low-liquidity rebound rather than a full bull market. Bitcoin spot ETFs saw another $203 million inflow. US stock futures pointed lower after a strong Tuesday session led by a massive rebound in semiconductors and memory stocks. The rally was fueled by renewed optimism about AI-driven hardware demand, with Micron, SanDisk, and SK Hynix surging. However, those gains reversed in pre-market trading. Super Micro Computer (SMCI) soared over 20% after hours on strong guidance and a record backlog. Other standouts included Rocket Lab and nuclear energy plays Oklo and X-Energy. Rising oil prices (Brent above $91) and climbing Treasury yields (10-year near 4.64%), however, are reigniting inflation concerns and acting as a headwind for equities. In Asia, markets were mixed. South Korea's KOSPI pared early gains to close slightly higher as semiconductor stocks like SK Hynix gave back initial surges. Japan's Nikkei edged lower as the yen hit a fresh 38-year low against the dollar, raising fears of potential market intervention. Key events to watch include the Samsung Galaxy launch, AMD's AI event, and a slew of major tech earnings from Alphabet, Tesla, and IBM after the close on Wednesday, followed by the ECB meeting and Intel's earnings on Thursday.

marsbit20h ago

BIT Trading Moment: BTC Still Suppressed by Weekly 200 EMA, Rejection May Restart Decline; Storage and Semiconductors that Surged Last Night Begin Falling in Evening Trading

marsbit20h ago

Former CFTC Chairman, Circle President Tarbert: Preaching Long-Termism While Cashing Out $30 Million Himself

Former CFTC Chairman and Circle President Heath Tarbert has consistently advocated for a long-term vision in public, urging patience from investors as Circle’s stock price has fallen significantly from its peak. However, it has been revealed that since Circle’s IPO, Tarbert has continuously sold his CRCL shares through pre-arranged trading plans, cashing out approximately $30 million, without making any public market purchases. This contrast between his public messaging and personal actions has drawn criticism. Tarbert joined Circle in July 2023 as Chief Legal Officer, leveraging his regulatory experience to help guide the company through its IPO and expansion. Despite promoting stablecoins as long-term infrastructure, he established a 10b5-1 trading plan just before Circle went public, leading to substantial stock sales over the following year. In March 2026, he initiated another plan to sell more shares. His career trajectory highlights a pattern of moving between high-level regulatory roles and influential positions in the financial sector. After resigning as CFTC Chairman in early 2021, he joined Citadel Securities as Chief Legal Officer just 27 days later, during a period of intense regulatory scrutiny for the firm. He later joined Circle, aiding its efforts to navigate regulatory challenges for its public listing. While Tarbert's expertise in policy and compliance is valuable to companies like Circle, his actions—advocating long-term confidence while personally divesting—raise questions about the alignment between his public statements and his private financial decisions, leaving investors who followed his advice to bear the market risks.

marsbit20h ago

Former CFTC Chairman, Circle President Tarbert: Preaching Long-Termism While Cashing Out $30 Million Himself

marsbit20h ago

Gate Research Institute: The 'Wall Street-ization' Wave of Crypto Financial Products – Competition or Integration?

The article titled "Gate Research Institute: Are Crypto Financial Products Sparking a 'Wall Street' Wave—Competition or Convergence?" explores the evolving relationship between the crypto ecosystem and traditional finance (TradFi). The piece begins by reflecting on Bitcoin's original 2009 vision of decentralization, disintermediation, and moving away from banks. It then contrasts this with the 2024 landscape, where key crypto assets like Bitcoin are increasingly held through Wall Street products like ETFs issued by giants like BlackRock. The article questions whether this signifies that TradFi is systematically taking over the rights to issue, price, custody, and distribute crypto financial assets. The core argument is that this is not a zero-sum takeover but rather a bidirectional convergence where each side addresses the other's weaknesses. Crypto offers 24/7 global markets, programmable settlement, and open access but lacks compliant channels, institutional-grade custody, deep fiat liquidity, and mainstream distribution. TradFi possesses these but is constrained by legacy systems, limited operating hours, and slow settlement. Two primary convergence paths are highlighted: * **Path A (CEX to TradFi):** Exemplified by Gate, which has progressed from offering tokenized stocks and CFDs to providing direct, real stock trading (US, Hong Kong, South Korea) within its platform, using USDT. * **Path B (TradFi to Crypto):** Exemplified by Robinhood, which has integrated crypto trading, acquired exchanges like Bitstamp, and is moving traditional assets like stocks onto the blockchain via tokenization and its own Layer 2. Both paths are ultimately competing to become the next-generation, unified financial account—a "super account" where users can seamlessly trade cryptocurrencies, stocks, ETFs, RWA (Real World Assets), and tokenized treasury products in one interface. The growth of RWA and tokenized treasuries (e.g., BlackRock's BUIDL) is presented as the asset-layer fusion, providing stable, yield-bearing assets on-chain and acting as a bridge between the two worlds. In conclusion, the "Wall Street-ization" of crypto is framed as a mutual transformation. Decentralized ideals persist in the protocol layer, while at the application layer, a more efficient, global, and accessible unified capital market is emerging from this convergence. The future competition lies not between crypto exchanges and stockbrokers, but between platforms vying to offer the most comprehensive asset coverage, liquidity, and user experience within a single account.

marsbit20h ago

Gate Research Institute: The 'Wall Street-ization' Wave of Crypto Financial Products – Competition or Integration?

marsbit20h ago

Trading

Spot

Hot Articles

Discussions

Welcome to the HTX Community. Here, you can stay informed about the latest platform developments and gain access to professional market insights. Users' opinions on the price of SOL (SOL) are presented below.

活动图片