The Chainlink price was one of the several victims of the bearish pressure that swept the entire crypto market at the start of last week. The altcoin’s value fell to $17 — for the first time since late November 2024 — in almost a single move on Monday morning.
Chainlink Price Overview
The price of Bitcoin dropped to $92,000 after news of US President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs sparked fears of retaliatory actions and a potential trade war. Interestingly, Bitcoin’s price plunge was relatively less significant than that of the altcoin market, with large-cap assets like Ethereum falling by nearly 30% in one swoop.
Specifically, the Chainlink price kicked off the week with a 32% slump, succumbing to the bearish pressure triggered by the US trade tariffs. As of this writing, the LINK token has recovered above the $18 mark despite a 1.4% price decline in the past 24 hours.
Although the LINK price looks set for a bullish recovery, there seems to be a lull in its movement over the past few days. This sluggishness may be somehow connected to a crucial resistance level, which could prove pivotal to the start of a fresh bull run.
Here’s Why $23.76 Is Crucial
Prominent crypto trader Ali Martinez took to the X platform to share a significant level that could be crucial to the long-term health of the Chainlink price. This analysis is based on the average cost basis of several LINK investors.
In cost-basis analysis, the ability of a level to act as support or resistance depends on the total amount of coins last acquired by investors in the region. In the chart below, the size of the dot represents and directly corresponds to the number of LINK tokens purchased within a price bracket.
Recent data from IntoTheBlock shows that around 96,760 investors bought approximately 110.43 million Chainlink tokens within the $20.96 – $26.25 price range — at an average price of $23.78. The high purchasing activity has led to the formation of a supply barrier within this price region.
The $23.78 region acts as a resistance zone because of the elevated number of investors with their cost basis in and around it. This level has the potential to witness significant selling pressure from investors wanting to sell their tokens after returning to a breakeven point, thereby hindering further price increases.
This implies the potential supply of LINK tokens could overwhelm the buying demand within the $20.96 – $26.25 bracket. According to Martinez, a successful breach above the $23.78 level could set the stage for a new bull rally for the Chainlink price.
