- Zcash (ZEC) has moved into positive territory with double-digit gains over the past 24 hours.
- Meanwhile, privacy coin Monero (XMR) is down about 2% at $372.
- XMR earlier dipped to lows near $360.
Zcash and Monero, two of the largest privacy-focused cryptocurrencies, showed divergent price action on Monday while the broader crypto market remained largely subdued.
Bitcoin traded just above $92,000 ahead of the highly anticipated Federal Reserve meeting, while tokens such as BNB, Solana and XRP broadly tracked Ethereum’s modest gains.
However, the bulls’ inability to spark a broad-based rally has kept many altcoins well below recent highs, including both Zcash and Monero.
Zcash price posts double-digit gains
Zcash surged more than 12% as the token climbed from roughly $334 to approach $400.
Data from CoinMarketCap showed the privacy coin reaching highs of $398 across major exchanges, extending gains above $380.
Although current levels around $383 remain well below earlier peaks above $700, buyers may seek further momentum as ZEC benefits from renewed interest that has lifted it from a laggard to a top-20 cryptocurrency by market capitalization.
An uptick in shielded transactions, with Zcash positioned as a privacy-focused alternative to Bitcoin, highlights growing confidence. Open interest in Zcash futures sits above $783 million, down from $1.3 billion in November.
Speculative engagement remains robust: over the past 24 hours liquidations exceeded $10 million.
Coinglass data shows about 80% of ZEC’s 24-hour liquidations were shorts, likely caught off-guard by the sudden price jump.
If Zcash clears resistance at $400, bulls could push toward $500 and aim for this year’s highs. Conversely, a break below $370 would hand the advantage to sellers.
Monero price faces risk of further losses
In contrast to Zcash, Monero has retreated over the past 24 hours.
The privacy coin fell to a low near $360 earlier in the day and now faces renewed selling pressure around $380.
XMR currently trades near $372, down nearly 2% in the last 24 hours and about 10% over the past week.
By comparison, ZEC is up more than 11% over the same seven-day period.
Monero’s decline extended to four consecutive bearish daily candles as of December 7, 2025, with bulls attempting to prevent a fifth red candle.
Bears recently erased most of November’s gains from highs near $470.
The drop to $360 leaves Monero vulnerable to additional downside if key support fails. As with many altcoins, macroeconomic pressures are a primary driver behind Monero’s weakness.
XMR is trading within a broader wedge pattern, and the area around $400 has acted as an important zone for bears.
Elsewhere, futures open interest has contracted to about $54 million, down from $67 million on December 1, 2025, and from a recent peak of $98 million on November 10, 2025.
The token’s decline has also followed a double-top formation around $435, suggesting the next short-term support test near the $335 region is becoming more likely.