Polkadot's Gain Underperforms Wider Crypto Markets
The token has support at $2.05 and resistance near the $2.16 level.

What to know:
- DOT climbed 0.8% to $2.12, lagging behind the broader crypto market.
- Trading volume jumped 26% above the seven-day average, signaling heightened institutional activity.
The CoinDesk 20 (CD20) index, was 2.8% higher at publication time.
The token's inability to match crypto market momentum, signals underlying hesitation in investor sentiment toward the Polkadot ecosystem, according to CoinDesk Research's technical analysis model.
The model showed that the advance occurred on substantially elevated trading volume, with 24-hour activity running 26% higher than the seven-day moving average.
This volume pattern suggests deliberate positioning by market participants rather than low-conviction drift, though the relative underperformance indicates profit-taking outweighs fresh accumulation, according to the model.
DOT rallied from $2.09 to $2.14 over the session, establishing an ascending trend with higher lows at $2.05 and $2.09, creating a total trading range of $0.13 representing 6.1% volatility, the model said.
The most significant volume event occurred with 5.75 million tokens traded at 134% above the 24-hour average, the model showed, driving price through resistance at $2.12 to establish session highs near $2.16.
Technical Analysis:
- Strong support established at $2.05 with resistance forming near $2.16; immediate support at $2.140 becomes critical for maintaining bullish structure
- Exceptional volume surge of 134% above average during resistance test; recent 60-minute volume spike of 145K tokens coincides with distribution activity
- Ascending trend with higher lows from $2.05 to $2.09 conflicts with descending channel formation in shorter time frames
- Upside target toward $2.16 resistance with potential extension if volume confirms; downside risk toward $2.05 support represents 6.1% range vulnerability
Disclaimer: Parts of this article were generated with the assistance from AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and adherence to our standards. For more information, see CoinDesk's full AI Policy.
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