Hedera Hashgraph (HBAR) Plunge

Hedera's on-chain activity has surged, driving HBAR's price up by 4%. Both testnet and mainnet transactions per second increased significantly, reaching 44 and 100 TPS respectively. New account creation rose sharply by 72.9% in 24 hours, indicating active user engagement. The number of HBAR holders grew to approximately 4.6 million, while Total Value Locked (TVL) increased by 2% to $67.1 million. These metrics suggest organic growth driven by rising developer activity and early DeFi adoption, rather than speculation. If HBAR breaks above the $0.1161 resistance, it could test the next level near $0.1452.

Hedera (HBAR) ended the week down 12%, but underlying fundamentals suggest potential for a shift. Despite the price decline, JPMorgan recently highlighted Hedera as a key example of public-permissioned distributed ledger technology (DLT), which offers open access with operational controls suited for enterprise and regulatory needs. Additionally, Santiment data ranked Hedera fourth globally for developer activity over the past month, indicating strong ongoing development. Technical analysis shows HBAR's price consolidating after a pullback, with the RSI at 44 indicating weakness but not oversold conditions. Open Interest remained flat near $55 million, and funding rates were slightly positive, suggesting a lack of aggressive selling or heavy shorting. The focus now turns to Hedera's planned mainnet upgrade to v0.69 on January 21st. This upgrade is seen as a critical test of the network's ability to execute smoothly. If successful, it could help bridge the gap between Hedera's strong development activity and its current market valuation, potentially serving as a catalyst for HBAR's price.

Discussions continue on which cryptocurrencies might outperform Bitcoin by 2026. According to crypto commentator X Finance Bull, XRP, HBAR, and Litecoin are key coins to watch. XRP and Hedera (HBAR) are highlighted for their growing role in financial infrastructure, moving beyond speculation to become foundational blockchain networks. Litecoin is noted for its optional privacy features, placing it in the underappreciated privacy-assets category alongside Monero. The commentary also points to XRP Ledger's low, predictable fees and deflationary token burn as advantages for institutional adoption. Other important themes for 2026 include tokenization platforms, with Ethereum and Solana leading, and the expanding stablecoin market.

HBAR has broken above the key $0.10 resistance level, signaling a potential trend reversal after a prolonged downtrend. The price formed higher lows between $0.073–$0.090, indicating weakening bearish control, and a decisive weekly close above $0.10 confirmed the structural breakout. Follow-up buying pushed the price toward $0.134, establishing the first higher high. Despite rejection wicks near the $0.104–$0.107 supply zone, pullbacks held above $0.097–$0.10, suggesting strong support reclamation. The bullish momentum was amplified by a 43% surge in spot trading volume, exceeding $200 million, following FedEx's announcement to join the Hedera Council. Additionally, an inverse head-and-shoulders pattern formation and rising futures open interest (up 9% to $29 million) with positive funding rates indicated strong leveraged long positioning. However, this also introduces crowding risk, making the rally vulnerable if spot demand fades. At the time of writing, HBAR faces a critical inflection point. Sustained closes above $0.10 could lead to a push toward $0.11–$0.134, validating the reversal. Failure to hold above $0.10 may result in a retracement toward $0.090 or even $0.078. The overall structure suggests an early bullish transition, but continuation depends on confirmed breakout strength above the $0.10–$0.104 resistance band.

On August 7, 2026, Grayscale Investments withdrew its S-1 registration filings for proposed ETFs tracking Cardano (ADA), Hedera (HBAR), and Polkadot (DOT). The simultaneous withdrawals, using identical legal language, suggest a strategic portfolio decision rather than a reaction to issues with any single asset or new regulation. Analysts view ADA, HBAR, and DOT as lower-priority assets in the ETF queue compared to Bitcoin, Ethereum, and even other alts like Solana. The move preserves Grayscale's option to refile later without incurring ongoing costs for products where clear market demand has not yet materialized. The market reaction was muted, with minimal price movement for the three tokens, indicating the withdrawal was interpreted as administrative housekeeping. Grayscale's flagship Bitcoin and Ethereum products are unaffected, and other altcoin ETF filings remain in progress.