- Cardano price jumps 10% above $0.38 as Bitcoin surpasses $90,200.
- ADA eyes a potential breakout toward $2.
- Bulls aim to ride a key 2026 catalyst.
The Cardano token ADA climbed more than 10%, trading above $0.38 after buyers pushed the price back above the long-watched $0.35 support level. This move coincided with a broad-based uptick across the cryptocurrency market.
Bitcoin strengthened roughly 2%, trading above $90,000 and providing a risk-on backdrop for digital assets. Major altcoins also posted solid gains: Ethereum moved above $3,100 while XRP surged to near $1.95, lifting sentiment for Cardano.
Smaller meme tokens led much of the day’s rally, with projects like Pepe and Shiba Inu posting double-digit gains. Hedera and several other altcoins also traded higher, contributing to broader strength across the market.
Cardano reclaims key $0.35 level
Strong buying activity supported ADA’s recent push, with roughly $770 million worth of the token changing hands over a 24-hour period. Trading volume rose about 34% on the day, signaling renewed market participation.
Price has moved above the 50-day simple moving average, a widely watched indicator for shifts in momentum. On-chain metrics also show growth in decentralized finance usage on Cardano: total value locked (TVL) on the network rose roughly 7% to about $231 million, according to DeFiLlama.
Despite the inflows, TVL remains well below prior highs of $544 million in August 2025 and more than $865 million in December 2024. From a technical perspective, analysts note ADA had been compressed between $0.35 and $0.38 in recent weeks, forming a tenuous range.
A sustained move above $0.35 is viewed as a potential breakout from that range and could undermine the prevailing bearish structure if maintained.
If the recent upward momentum persists, short-term targets include $0.42 with an extended rally potentially reaching $0.50. While downside risks remain—particularly a drop below $0.34—sustained buying could push ADA past $0.54 toward the 2025 peak of $0.73 reached in October. Beyond that, the next psychological barrier sits at $1.00.
Looking further ahead, crypto analyst Javon Marks has suggested ADA could target $2.90 in the medium term, implying several-fold upside under a strong bullish scenario.
Cardano re-enters top 10 by market capitalization
Cardano extended gains on Thursday, recovering after slipping out of the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market capitalization earlier in the year. ADA has climbed back above Bitcoin Cash, and reclaiming levels above $0.35 helped restore its ranking among the largest digital assets.
The rally lifted Cardano’s market capitalization to roughly $13.6 billion. That move occurred alongside greater market stability, with Bitcoin trading back above $90,200 and broad-based strength across major altcoins.
Ethereum’s move toward $3,100 and XRP’s roughly 5% gain to near $1.95 reinforced bullish sentiment around Cardano, supporting its rebound in the rankings and contributing to an improved market tone.
Overall, Cardano’s recent price action reflects renewed buying interest, improving technical signals and rising on-chain activity. While notable resistance and downside risks remain, the token’s recovery above key levels has put an array of bullish scenarios back on the table for traders and investors watching ADA’s next moves.