Cryptocurrency prices came under pressure on Sept. 28 as oil prices and elevated Treasury yields weighed on risk assets. Bitcoin traded near $83,700, while Ethereum changed hands around $2,660. Brent futures traded near $98.82 and West Texas Intermediate approached $94.02, while the U.S. 10-year Treasury yield closed at 5.17% on Sept. 25. Treasury yields serve as the benchmark for the essentially risk-free return available to investors, which is why shifts in the bond market are closely watched across risk-asset classes, crypto included.

Against that macro backdrop, Quant, NEAR Protocol and Zcash remained among the market's stronger recent performers. Their setups now depend on whether recent gains can hold as volatility persists.

• Quant (QNT) surged from below $60 to over $300 in a few days as its utility rose.
• NEAR Protocol rallied on its positioning in the AI and privacy industries.
• Zcash (ZEC) jumped amid rising ZEC ETF inflows.

Quant Price Prediction After QNT's Rapid Rally

Quant has staged a strong bullish breakout in recent days, jumping from this month's low of $59 to a high of $368 on Sunday. The move, which took the token from below $60 to more than $300 in a few sessions, coincided with growing adoption of its technology.

Some of the biggest British banks have used Quant's technology to facilitate tokenized deposits, while Clear Street, a firm that handles billions of dollars each month, has also embraced the network. Rising demand for coins tied to the real-world asset (RWA) tokenization industry has added further support. RWA tokenization — the practice of representing instruments such as deposits, bonds, and funds on blockchain rails — has become one of the focus areas for banks and trading firms exploring on-chain settlement.

Trading data pointed to a Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) dynamic among investors. QNT's 24-hour volume soared 281% to $1.2 billion, its futures open interest continued a strong upward trend, and CoinGlass data shows the supply of QNT on exchanges has kept falling. Open interest measures the total value of outstanding futures contracts, and rising levels are generally read as fresh positions backing a move. Coins held on exchange wallets are the balances most readily available to be sold, which is why the exchange-supply trend is closely monitored. The token also climbed above all of its moving averages, a sign that bulls have prevailed.

Still, the uptrend may be overextended. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) jumped to 94, indicating the token is highly overbought. Readings above 70 are traditionally viewed as overbought territory. That raises the likelihood of a pullback toward $200 or below as investors take profits, after which QNT could rebound and retest this month's high.

NEAR Protocol Price Prediction

NEAR has performed well over the past few months, driven by its positioning in the privacy and AI sectors. The token has climbed from an August low of $1.5407 to a high of $5.50, and the rally accelerated after the success of Meta Platforms' Muse AI agent. The linkage underscores how AI-related announcements from major technology companies have become catalysts that traders track for AI-focused crypto projects.

Technically, NEAR formed a cup-and-handle pattern, which often signals bullish continuation, and has already cleared the key resistance at $3.08, the upper side of the cup. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) jumped to 83, showing the uptrend gathered momentum.

The token is now highly overbought, however, which could prompt a reversal as investors begin to book profits. In that scenario, NEAR may drop to the key support at $4 and could also retest the $308 support.

Zcash Price Prediction

Zcash, the biggest privacy coin, has been one of the strongest performers in recent months. ZEC jumped from a low of $188 earlier this year to $1,693 over the weekend, a rally that came as the Grayscale ZEC ETF added assets and as its shielded supply soared. Shielded supply refers to the portion of ZEC held in the network's encrypted pools, which conceal transaction details, and its growth is often cited as a gauge of how heavily Zcash's privacy features are being used. Separately, 21Shares launched its ZEC ETP in Europe last week, giving investors a way to gain exposure to the token through conventional brokerage channels without needing to hold it directly.

The token broke above the important resistance at $1,288, its highest level, reached on Sept. 9 this year, and remains above the Supertrend indicator.

Risks are building, however. The Average Directional Index (ADX) has moved sideways at 61, a sign that momentum is fading. Most notably, ZEC is forming a bearish divergence pattern, with the RSI printing a series of lower lows and lower highs, a setup that often precedes a retreat. If it plays out, the token may drop to the crucial support at $1,288.

Outlook

Looking ahead, the crypto market is likely to react to the upcoming U.S. nonfarm payrolls (NFP) report, consumer confidence data and any developments in the U.S.-Iran war.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice. Technical levels remain conditional.

Source: The Market Periodical