TLDR
- Cardano (ADA) is trading at around $0.28–$0.285, struggling to break above the $0.29 resistance level
- Futures open interest has fallen to $436 million, reflecting reduced investor participation
- Funding rates turned negative, suggesting more traders are betting on a price decline
- Whale wallets accumulated 240 million ADA since February 11, showing some buyer interest at lower prices
- Social dominance for ADA has been trending down since December, pointing to fading public interest
Cardano (ADA) is trading at around $0.28 on Wednesday, February 18, after failing to push past a key resistance level over the weekend.
The price was rejected at the 38.2% Fibonacci retracement level of $0.29 on Sunday, dropping 4.47% that day. ADA has stayed close to $0.28 since then.
According to CoinMarketCap, ADA was last seen at $0.2853, up 1.25% on the day. Its market cap sits at $10.27 billion, with 24-hour trading volume around $389.86 million.
Cardano futures Open Interest (OI) has dropped to $436 million, down steadily since mid-January and approaching the February 12 low of $407 million. Lower OI typically reflects fewer active traders in the market.
Funding rates on Cardano futures have also turned negative, sitting at -0.0130% according to Coinglass. This means more traders are betting on a price decline than a recovery. The last time rates were this low was around February 6, when ADA dropped sharply.
Whale Accumulation Offers Some Support
Not all the data points downward. On-chain data from Santiment shows that whale wallets holding between 1 million and 100 million ADA have accumulated a combined 240 million ADA tokens since February 11.
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This type of buying at lower price levels can sometimes act as a floor for the market, though it has not yet translated into upward price movement.
Social dominance for ADA, which tracks how much of crypto media discussion involves Cardano, has been falling since late December. It hit 0.038% on Wednesday, indicating that public interest and online conversation around ADA continues to shrink.
Key Price Levels to Watch
On the technical side, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) reads 44, below the neutral level of 50, pointing to bearish momentum. However, the MACD showed a bullish crossover on February 13 that remains in place.
This is the monthly $ADA chart.
Anyone you ask will tell you that this is an amazing accumulation area. pic.twitter.com/qxN7xBJA5E
— Sssebi🦁 (@Sssebi) February 17, 2026
Pivot point data puts support levels at $0.2806, $0.2744, and $0.2702. Resistance sits at $0.2910, $0.2952, and $0.3013.
If ADA breaks below support, the next key level to watch is $0.24. A daily close above $0.29 could open the door toward the 50-day EMA at $0.32.
Longer-term projections from CoinCodex place the 200-day SMA at $0.5508 and the 50-day SMA at $0.3465.
ADA is currently trading at $0.2853, up 1.25% on the day.
