Key Takeaways
LDO surged 17% to $1.57 before retracing to $1.502 at press time as Ethereum surged to an ATH amid demand for liquid staking, Currently, LDO dominates ETH stakers.
Lido Dao [LDO] surged 17% after successfully holding $1.2 support, reaching a local high of $1.57 before retracing to $1.502 at press time.
Over the same period, the altcoin’s volume surged 279% to $394 million, while market cap jumped 16.9% to $1.34 billion. Such a spike in volume and market reflects steady capital inflow and increased on-chain activity.
But what is behind LDO’s uptick?
Ethereum’s rally to ATH boosts LDO’s upsurge
Interestingly, as Ethereum rallied to a new all-time high of $4886, Lido Dao also skyrocketed. This was primarily driven by a remarkable surge in staking services, with LDO leading the market with 23%.
Often, increased ETH value boosts staking yields and demand for Lido’s liquid staking services, stETH, leading to higher TVL, thus higher demand for LDO.
Therefore, Ethereum’s price uptick propelled liquid staking protocols to higher levels.
Liquid staking services offered by LDO have become essential for investors seeking yield without risking liquidity.
Recently, the SEC clarified that liquid staking activities where providers offer administrative tasks are not considered securities.
Source: Dune
With legal clarity over liquid staking, Lido has become a go-to destination for most ETH stakers, now controlling a 24% share of the market.
This suggests that Ethereum’s price performance will consistently influence LDO’s price movement.
Whales’ demand for Futures skyrockets
Besides the rising demand for staking services, Lido Dao experienced massive demand for Futures positions, especially from whales.
Source: CryptoQuant
Futures Average Order Size data from Cryptoquant showed Lido Dao recorded big whale orders for seven consecutive days.
When Futures record whale orders, it signals increased whale participation, neither taking shorts nor longs. Surprisingly, when we examine derivatives, it seems these whales are mainly betting against the market.
Source: Coinglass
According to Coinglass, Derivatives Volume jumped 217% to $1.1 billion, while Open Interest surged 18.9% to $335 million.
When OI and volume surge alongside each other, it indicates growing participation and capital influx into futures.
Meanwhile, the altcoin’s Long/Short Ratio dipped to 0.934, where shorts accounted for 54.4% while longs accounted for 45.5%.
Source: CoinGlass
Typically, when short positions dominate, it suggests most participants are actively betting against the market.
Retail is not sitting idle either
Significantly, Lido Dao has recorded significant demand from retail, especially from retail traders. According to Coinalyze, Lido Dao recorded two days of consecutive positive Buy Sell Delta.
Source: Coinalyze
On the 23rd of August, LDO saw 6.69 million in buy Volume, a drop from 32.9 million recorded the previous day. Likewise, the altcoin saw 36 million in Sell Volume across the 22nd and the 23rd of August.
As a result, the altcoin recorded a cumulative total of 2.7 million in Buy Sell Delta, a clear sign of aggressive accumulation.
What momentum indicators say
Staking services soared following the Ethereum rally to a new ATH. As a result, Lido’s upward momentum strengthened, as evidenced by a bullish crossover on the altcoin’s Stochastic RSI.
At the same time, its Directional Movement Index (DMI) also made a bullish crossover, reaching 35.
Source: TradingView
When these momentum indicators make a bullish crossover, they signal strong upward momentum and its likelihood to continue.
Therefore, if Ethereum continues to rise, resulting in constant demand for staking services, Lido Dao will make more gains and target $1.76 resistance.
However, if market conditions change, with ETH retracing, low yield and demand for liquid staking will send LDO down to $1.37.