Cardano (ADA) changed hands at $0.2537 on September 28, up 11.5% over the past week. The token has held its ground near $0.25, with the $0.26 level remaining the next hurdle for buyers to clear. Cardano's market capitalization stood near $9.52 billion. The proof-of-stake network uses ADA for transaction fees and staking, giving holders a use case beyond trading.

The broader cryptocurrency market was valued at about $2.98 trillion at the time. Bitcoin traded around $84,244, Ethereum sat near $2,679, and XRP changed hands at $1.51.

ADA Tests Resistance at $0.26

On September 27, ADA hovered at $0.2551, staying above $0.25 after several failed attempts to break through resistance near $0.26. The pause came after a recovery from roughly $0.20 in mid-September. The token approached $0.26 on September 23 before slipping below $0.24 the following day.

A four-hour close above $0.26 could open a path toward $0.27, the next marked resistance level. If ADA manages to hold above $0.26, the $0.30 area could come into view. Conversely, a fall below $0.25 would put the zone near $0.20 back in focus as the next support level, and a move beneath that area would weaken the recent recovery.

Technical indicators currently offer mixed signals. The four-hour Relative Strength Index (RSI), a momentum gauge used to flag overbought and oversold conditions, stood at 55.54, above the neutral 50 level, while the MACD line, a trend-momentum measure, sat at 0.0034, below its signal line of 0.0041. The negative histogram reading of 0.0007 indicates that upward momentum has slowed.

Derivatives Activity Cools as DEX Volume Jumps

Cardano's derivatives market cooled over the same period. ADA trading volume fell 17.44% to $483.74 million, according to Coinglass data, while open interest — the total value of outstanding derivative positions — slipped 3.71% to $605.28 million.

Options activity saw the sharpest decline. Options volume dropped 92.94% to just $6,590, and options open interest edged down 0.27% to $374,920. Taken together, the figures point to weaker trading activity across ADA derivatives, with options seeing the most pronounced pullback. Traders often track this derivatives-versus-on-chain split to gauge whether price moves are backed by leveraged positions or by activity on the network itself.

On-chain trading told a different story. Cardano's decentralized exchange (DEX) volume surged 2,965% over the week, according to DeFiLlama data. DEX over the past 30 days totaled $248.31 million. However, 24-hour DEX volume stood at just $1.68 million, well below the period's busiest days — a gap suggesting the monthly total was driven mainly by earlier bursts of trading rather than steady daily demand.

Sudden spikes in DEX activity are not unprecedented for the network. Cardano's weekly DEX volume passed $100 million several times between 2023 and 2025.

From here, the markers to watch are the ones already in place: whether ADA can secure a four-hour close above $0.26, whether the $0.25 floor holds on any pullback, and whether the DEX surge develops into sustained daily activity or remains episodic.

At last check, ADA traded at about $0.2569, above $0.25 support with $0.26 still acting as resistance.

Source: Blockonomi — Cardano (ADA) Price: Token Holds Near $0.25 as $0.26 Resistance Stays in Place