Solana’s native cryptocurrency SOL, experienced a modest 4% drop between April 29 and April 30, failing to reclaim the $150 resistance. Yet, despite this pullback, investor sentiment remains cautiously optimistic as $140 support has held firm for over a week, a stability not seen in months.
One of the most telling indicators of renewed market interest lies in the SOL futures market, where open interest has climbed to 40.5 million SOL, or approximately $5.75 billion in notional value. This represents a 5% increase from the previous month, pushing open interest close to all-time highs, and positioning SOL as the third most traded crypto derivative, surpassing even XRP.
Funding Rate Turns Negative: Caution or Opportunity?
Despite surging open interest, Solana's funding rate for perpetual futures has turned negative, indicating more aggressive short positioning. This shows that while demand for leveraged trading rises, the bias leans toward bearish bets.
Historically, negative funding often precedes a price bounce, especially when shorts become overcrowded. Traders are now split between skepticism and hope, particularly following the 43% rally SOL enjoyed between April 8 and April 29.
The last surge in bullish sentiment ended after SOL failed to break the $156 resistance on April 25, and the current funding environment shows a market waiting for fresh confirmation.
Strong Fundamentals Support Bullish Outlook
Despite concerns about speculative memecoins, Solana's network fundamentals remain robust. It ranks second in total value locked (TVL) with $9.5 billion, powering key DeFi use cases such as liquid staking, yield strategies, and synthetic derivatives.
Top-performing dApps include:
Meteora: $19.1M in 7-day fees
Pump-fun: $18.6M
Juto: $14.6M
The Solana ecosystem also dominates decentralized exchange (DEX) activity, posting $21.6 billion in weekly volume, significantly higher than Ethereum and its entire layer-2 stack combined. Notably, Raydium’s volume jumped 87%, while Meteora rose 58%, reflecting a surge in organic use.
Spot Solana ETF Could Be a Game-Changer
Looking ahead, traders are eyeing the possible approval of a spot Solana ETF in the United States. According to analysts, the final SEC decision is due by October 10, with a 90% approval likelihood.
While approval may be months away, the speculation alone could fuel a SOL rally above $200 even earlier, especially if retail and institutional interest continues to grow.
Conclusion: Bearish Bets vs Bullish Fundamentals
Solana is at a crossroads. Record futures demand, combined with negative funding rates, shows traders are positioning for volatility. Yet, the solid network metrics, rising DEX activity, and anticipation of a spot ETF may tilt momentum in favor of bulls.
Whether or not SOL hits $200 in the near term, one thing is clear — Solana’s ecosystem is proving its staying power in a market driven by both speculation and utility.
This post first appeared on Cryptosnewss.com
