Klaytn

THETA, LIDO, KLAY and EGLD flash bullish signs as Bitcoin recaptures $23K

BTC price is chasing after $24,000 again, raising the possibility of LDO, EGLD, THETA and KLAY targeting new year-to-date highs.

The cryptocurrency markets and the United States equities markets witnessed profit-booking this week as the macroeconomic data hinted toward continued rate hikes by the Federal Reserve. Bitcoin (BTC) is down more than 4% and the S&P 500 fell 2.7% to record its worst week of the year. 

The CME FedWatch Tool shows a 73% probability of a 25 basis points rate hike by the Fed in the March meeting but after the hotter-than-expected inflation readings in two weeks, the probability of a 50 basis point rate hike has started to slowly gain traction.

Crypto market data daily view. Source: Coin360

During periods of uncertainty, some coins enter a deeper correction while a few buck the trend and continue to outperform. Hence, it becomes important to select the right coins to trade.

A few coins that have witnessed a shallow correction or have bounced sharply off the support have been selected in this list. Let’s see their charts and determine the levels to watch out for.

BTC/USDT

Bitcoin plunged below the 20-day exponential moving average ($23,391) on Feb. 24 but the bears could not build upon this advantage and sustain the price below the strong support at $22,800.

BTC/USDT daily chart. Source: TradingView

The price bounced off $22,800 on Feb. 25 and the bulls are trying to push the price above the 20-day EMA. If they manage to do that, it will indicate that the BTC/USDT pair may consolidate between $25,250 and $22,800 for a few days.

The flattening 20-day EMA and the relative strength index (RSI) near the midpoint also suggest a range-bound action in the near term.

Alternatively, if the price slips below $22,700, the selling could intensify and the pair may plummet to the next strong support at $21,480.

BTC/USDT 4-hour chart. Source: TradingView

The 20-EMA has turned down on the four-hour chart and the RSI is in the negative territory. This indicates an advantage to the bears. Sellers will try to protect the 20-EMA, and if the price turns down from this level, the likelihood of a break below $22,800 increases. If that happens, the selling may intensify and the pair may slide to $21,480.

On the contrary, if the price breaks above the 20-EMA, it will suggest that bulls are buying on dips. That could push the pair to the 50-simple moving average and keep the price stuck inside the range for some more time.

LDO/USDT

Lido DAO (LDO) did not sustain below the 20-day EMA ($2.75) during the recent correction, which is a positive sign. Another bullish sign is the formation of the pennant near the local highs.

LDO/USDT daily chart. Source: TradingView

The bulls will try to propel the price above the resistance line of the pennant. If they succeed, the LDO/USDT pair could start the next leg of the up-move. The pair may first rise to $3.90 and thereafter attempt a rally to $4.24.

Conversely, if the price turns down from the resistance line, it will suggest that bears are selling on rallies. That could keep the price inside the pennant for a while longer. The bears will have to sink the price below the pennant if they want to signal a short-term trend reversal.

LDO/USDT 4-hour chart. Source: TradingView

The strong bounce off the support line of the pennant indicates aggressive buying on dips. Buyers will have to overcome the obstacle at the resistance line to regain control. If they do that, the pair may resume its uptrend.

However, the bears are likely to have other plans as they will try to protect the resistance line. If the price turns down from this level, the state of equilibrium may continue for some more time.

A break below the pennant could attract profit-booking by short-term traders. That may tug the price to $2.20 and later to $2.

EGLD/USDT

MultiversX (EGLD) turned down from the resistance line but an encouraging sign is that the bulls are trying to defend the 20-day EMA ($47).

EGLD/USDT daily chart. Source: TradingView

Both moving averages are sloping up and the RSI is above 54, indicating that buyers have a slight edge. The bulls will try to push the price toward the resistance line where they are again likely to face strong opposition from the bears.

This bullish view could invalidate in the near term if the price turns down and plummets below the 20-day EMA. That will indicate selling by the bears on every minor rally. The EGLD/USDT pair could then tumble to the 50-day SMA ($44) and later to $40.

EGLD/USDT 4-hour chart. Source: TradingView

The four-hour chart shows that the price is falling inside a descending channel pattern. Buyers purchased at lower levels and have pushed the price to the resistance line of the channel. If this resistance gives way, the pair could rise to the 50-SMA and thereafter attempt a retest of the strong barrier at $54.

Contrarily, if the price turns down from the resistance line, it will suggest that the bears have not given up. That could result in a drop toward the support line of the channel.

Related: How does the U.S. Dollar Index (DXY) impact cryptocurrencies? Watch Macro Markets

THETA/USDT

The bulls are trying to arrest Theta Network’s (THETA) pullback at the 20-day EMA ($1.15). Both moving averages are sloping up and the RSI is in the positive territory, indicating advantage to the bulls.

THETA/USDT daily chart. Source: TradingView

If buyers thrust the price above the downtrend line, the THETA/USDT pair could climb to the overhead resistance at $1.34. This is a formidable resistance and a break above it could open the gates for a possible surge to $1.70.

Instead, if the price turns down and plunges below the 20-day EMA, it will suggest that the short-term bulls may be rushing to the exit. That may start a deeper correction to the 50-day SMA ($1.05) and then to the psychological support at $1.

THETA/USDT 4-hour chart. Source: TradingView

The four-hour chart shows the formation of a symmetrical triangle pattern. Both moving averages have flattened out and the RSI is oscillating near the center, indicating a balance between supply and demand.

A break below the triangle could tilt the short-term advantage in favor of the bears. The pair could first fall to $1.12 and then to $1.

If bulls want to prevent the decline, they will have to quickly propel the price above the triangle. That could start a journey to $1.27 and later to $1.30.

KLAY/USDT

Klaytn (KLAY) is attempting to break out from a basing pattern. The price rebounded off the 20-day EMA ($0.26) on Feb. 25, indicating solid buying on dips.

KLAY/USDT daily chart. Source: TradingView

The bulls will try to pierce the overhead resistance at $0.34. If they do that, the KLAY/USDT pair could pick up momentum and soar to the psychological resistance at $0.50. Such a move will signal a potential trend change.

If the price turns down from $0.34, it will indicate that bears are fiercely protecting the level. That could again pull the price down to the 20-day EMA. A break below this level could indicate that the pair may spend some more time in the basing pattern.

KLAY/USDT 4-hour chart. Source: TradingView

The bulls arrested the pullback near the 61.8% Fibonacci retracement of $0.26 and started a recovery. There is a minor resistance at $0.32 but if this level is crossed, the pair could attempt a rally to $0.34 and thereafter to $0.37.

On the other hand, if the price turns down from the overhead resistance, it will suggest that bears are selling on rallies. That may enhance the prospects of a break below $0.26. If that happens, the pair may slide to $0.22.

The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the authors’ alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.

This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.

1inch plugs into Klaytn as Asia continues to climb aboard

The 1inch Network has integrated its aggregation and limit order protocols to the burgeoning Klaytn blockchain mainnet.

South Korea’s most popular metaverse blockchain Klaytn is set to benefit from deeper liquidity and improved token swaps through a new partnership with decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol 1inch Network.

Klaytn has enjoyed success in South Korea as the country continues to see prolific nonfungible token (NFT) and GameFi use. Klaytn is a product of tech behemoth Kakao, which commands a user base of some 52 million people that use its flagship KakaoTalk application and suite of software products.

Klaytn derived its proprietary blockchain technology from the Ethereum Virtual Machine and powers various play-to-earn and AAA games, NFT marketplaces and Metaverses. As its user base continues to grow, the platform is looking to improve its scalability, efficiency and affordability.

Klaytn already aggregates over 50 enterprise-level decentralized finance (DeFi) service providers and decentralized exchanges (DEXs) and the addition of 1inch unlocks a further 257 liquidity sources. Klaytn’s touts the ability to process 4,000 transactions per second and is in the process of implementing a dynamic gas fee mechanism. This is in response to previous exploits of its fixed low gas prices.

The ongoing integration of layer two service chains is set to improve token management and oracle services on the metaverse blockchain. Klaytn reported $2.5 billion of total value locked on its protocol in March 2022 and the ongoing merge of various DeFi platforms creates further interoperability between different protocols.

Related: DeFi market has room for growth in Korea: 1inch co-founder — KBW 2022

1inch’s integration with Klaytn provides both userbases access to the 1inch Limit Order Protocol v2, KokonutSwap, KlaySwap, Klap and ClaimSwap.

Klaytn plugged into the wider NFT ecosystem through a partnership with NFT marketplace OpenSea in June 2022, giving its users access to a host of NFTs and digital collectibles minted on the Ethereum, Polygon and Solana blockchains.

1inch co-founder Sergej Kunz hinted at a move into the Asian market during the Korean Blockchain Week 2022 in Seoul, citing the popularity of blockchain-based games as a potential driver for DeFi adoption.

The company’s chief communications officer Sergey Maslennikov echoed these sentiments in correspondence with Cointelegraph as the partnership was unveiled on Aug. 9.

“It is quite obvious that Korean share of this market is huge. That’s why we’ve been in thorough and lasting negotiations with Klaytn as an undisputed leader in Korea which ended up in today’s partnership.”

Maslennikov also stressed that interoperability between blockchains has been a focus of the DeFi aggregator and the addition of a bridge into the Klaytn ecosystem adds another major blockchain platform to its network.

Solana Ventures sets up $100M fund for GameFi and DeFi in South Korea

The new fund is intended to support the growth of NFT, gaming and DeFi projects on Solana and to help keep former Terra developers on their feet following Terra’s fall.

Solana Ventures and the Solana Foundation have formed a $100-million fund to help support the growth of nonfungible token (NFT), blockchain gaming and decentralized finance (DeFi) projects in South Korea.

In addition to supporting projects built on Solana, the fund will help keep some Terra-based projects afloat following the collapse of that ecosystem last month.

The Solana Foundation believes the developers from Terra should not be held responsible for what happened on the blockchain network. In an interview reported by Bloomberg on Wednesday, Johnny B. Lee, general manager for games at the Solana Foundation, said:

“The developers did nothing really wrong, but they’re left in the lurch.”

The new fund helps solidify Solana’s aim to become an ideal blockchain for gaming. Solana Ventures launched a similar $100-million gaming fund with crypto exchange FTX and Lightspeed Ventures last November. It also has a $150-million fund with game-focused firms Forte and Griffin Gaming Partners.

South Korea is expected to become a hotbed of NFT and metaverse development this decade with the government pledging $187 million to build its own metaverse ecosystem. The Korean metaverse will mainly focus on the growth of digital content and digital corporations within the country.

The Solana Foundation is banking on interest in gaming finance (GameFi) and decentralized finance (DeFi) to increase in the country as companies begin to vie for grant money.

Competition to build the best platforms quickly is underway, with several South Korean platforms already offering NFTs or access to DeFi, such as the Klaytn layer-1 blockchain and Upbit exchange.

Klaytn’s biggest DeFi platform is KLAYswap, which has $274 million in total value locked according to DeFi ecosystem tracker DefiLlama. Upbit, the country’s largest exchange, has its own NFT marketplace.

However, it may be difficult for domestic companies to launch their blockchain-based games in South Korea.

The law currently prohibits games from giving monetary rewards, including crypto. This law led Korean officials to demand Apple and Google remove play-to-earn games from their Korean stores last December.

NFT trading and DeFi activity on Solana have been on the rise in recent months. Solana’s top NFT marketplace, Magic Eden, is the second largest in the world with 35,526 daily traders and $7.31 million in daily volume behind OpenSea, according to decentralized app tracker DappRadar.

Related: Metaverse tokens up 400% year on year despite altcoin bloodbath

By providing funding for ecosystem growth, Solana may also be able to address the infrequent network instability that has halted operations on the network since last year.

Solana’s (SOL) price is currently flat, only down 0.5% over the past 24 hours, trading at $39.05 according to data from CoinGecko.