- Story traded around $2.12 on Monday but has since staged a strong recovery.
- The IP token climbed above $2.65 while 24-hour trading volume surged more than 400% to $198 million.
- Buyers may ride bullish sentiment to target $3 or higher.
IP, the native token of the Story Protocol, outperformed many top altcoins over the past 24 hours.
At the time of writing, the token’s price had climbed more than 22% to reach its highest level since early December 2025.
Other notable gainers included Monero, Canton and Aerodrome Finance. Ethereum held a key level as it eyed the $3,500 mark.
Story is a layer-1 blockchain focused on tokenizing and programming intellectual property for creators in the AI era, positioning itself as a leader in that niche.
These gains came amid a broader upswing for privacy-focused altcoins, with IP’s price rising alongside a daily trading volume increase of over 400%.
IP price breaks above $2.50 on mega volume
As noted above, the Story token experienced a decisive breakout.
Buyers pushed the price clearly above the $2.50 level on a substantially higher 24-hour trading volume.
After bulls pushed past $2.10, the asset climbed to more than $2.65. Data showed trading volume exploded by over 450% to $198 million.
The move reflects strong bullish momentum, and IP could extend its rally toward the $3 mark. Traders view that level as a psychological barrier, and a successful breach could open the door to further gains.
Technically, the token trades above the 50-day exponential moving average (EMA) at $2.31, offering solid support for additional upside.
If the broader top cryptocurrencies turn clearly bullish, IP could see further rally potential.
However, the daily Relative Strength Index (RSI) sits at 73, placing the token in overbought territory.
That suggests a potential pullback as traders take profits. Meanwhile, the moving average convergence divergence (MACD) indicator shows some indecision, with the histogram signaling reduced momentum.
Story gains amid Monero-led surge in top altcoins
As the chart above shows, IP posted impressive gains today.
The fresh bullish wave pushed highs to $2.65, with the token rising more than 22% within 24 hours—mirroring notable advances among several other cryptocurrencies.
Monero (XMR) led the privacy-focused coins, powering a strong rally that pushed XMR prices toward the $600 area.
$XMR took the throne from $ZEC and is now leading the privacy bull wave, looking really strong, after reaching new All Time Highs! pic.twitter.com/wCzF8781hm
— Rand (@cryptorand) January 12, 2026
As XMR gained momentum, other coins that had sold off in recent sessions also climbed, including Zcash (ZEC). ZEC rose roughly 5% to trade above $410 as it attempts to recover despite developer-related turbulence.
Monero and Zcash remain leading privacy coins, but increased regulatory scrutiny—such as recent restrictions in Dubai—has put these tokens in the spotlight.
Overall, Story’s breakout and the wider rally in privacy-focused assets highlight renewed investor appetite for projects tied to privacy and creator-focused IP use cases.