- Polkadot’s price risks falling to $1.70 or lower amid sustained bearish pressure.
- Broader market weakness continues to favor the bears.
- Technical indicators are largely pessimistic as well.
Polkadot is trading among the red altcoins on Monday as ongoing market weakness keeps bulls on the defensive.
DOT, the native token of the cross-chain interoperability protocol, was around $1.83 and is down about 2% in the past 24 hours.
As the wider crypto market wrestles with volatility driven by macroeconomic pressure, DOT’s performance has been underwhelming.
Market weakness stalls DOT near $1.90
Recent attempts by Polkadot to break above $1.90 were thwarted by broad market weakness.
The token has pulled back amid negative momentum across the crypto sector.
After briefly testing resistance near that level, DOT faced strong selling pressure and retreated to $1.83.
Bears could push prices lower as uncertainty keeps volumes subdued and buyer interest muted.
Although the price rose about 1.5% last week, DOT is down roughly 18% over 30 days and about 74% year‑over‑year.
Short-term headwinds, including a recent network disruption on Sunday, are also worth monitoring.
Staking rewards on Polkadot follow a ~24-hour cycle called an “Era,” usually split between ~22K nominators.
Yesterday, in Era #2035, an issue with an off-chain election tool limited the nominator set to just 3K, leading to higher individual payouts for those included. The issue…
— Polkadot (@Polkadot) December 29, 2025
Polkadot price outlook
Trading around $1.85, DOT has struggled to regain momentum after prior highs.
The token’s muted price action reflects a cautious investor stance across the market.
Bitcoin and Ethereum face key resistance near $90,000 and $3,000 respectively, while other large-cap tokens such as XRP, Solana and BNB have trimmed gains as year‑end profit‑taking and position resets unfold.
Technical indicators, network developments and market sentiment will all act as either tailwinds or obstacles for DOT in the months ahead.
In the near term, DOT could post modest gains toward $2.00–$2.25 if buying interest returns.
More optimistic forecasts point to a recovery above $4.00, but that scenario appears ambitious given the token’s recent downtrend.
DOT has fallen sharply from highs above $10 in January of this year.
Year‑to‑date, bulls have struggled to hold gains above $6.00 and $4.50. A slide below $2.00 has only strengthened the bearish pressure currently dominating the altcoin.
Further declines are possible if the bearish trend continues.
Technical perspective
The 50-day exponential moving average is sloping down, indicating short-term weakness.
Meanwhile, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) remains below 50, suggesting continued downside bias. If the RSI moves into oversold territory, it could signal a potential reversal.
The MACD indicator, however, hints at some underlying bullish resilience.
Short‑term sideways trading below $1.80 looks likely.
But any fresh sell‑off would not only limit upside potential, it could give sellers a path to target $1.70 or lower.
Key factors that could influence these forecasts include Polkadot’s parachain auction activity, governance upgrades, and broader macroeconomic conditions.