Cardano's Price Surges 18% Amid Dijkstra Era Planning

Cardano's price has surged by 18% over the past week, making it one of the strongest performers among large-cap altcoins. The altcoin's price was below $0.20 when the week started but rose nearly 10% on Sunday as the network shifted its focus to the Dijkstra era, a major development phase for Cardano. Confirmation that planning has begun for this next stage has likely spurred Cardano's recent bullish price reaction.

The Open Interest behind Cardano has grown by 40% since July 29th, from $369 million to $519 million, with a falling number of ADA holders juxtaposed with speculative interest. There is also evidence of big whale orders despite shrinking wallet activity. A short-term signal of bullish dominance can be highlighted as reclaiming $0.18.

With this benchmark achieved, targets above $0.20 are now in focus. However, a bearish structure has unfolded for most of 2026 so far, but it changed in early July when the high at $0.19 was breached. A daily session close above this high flipped the swing structure bullishly.