NEAR's Explosive Surge Sparks Investor Caution: Is It Too Late to Buy?

NEAR Protocol has seen an explosive surge in value over the past three months, increasing by 156% since June. This growth is largely attributed to the launch of its private trading feature on September 17, which allows users to trade perpetual futures without connecting their wallets.

The feature's launch saw NEAR's price jump 27% in a single day to around $4.43, with trading volume more than doubling. A small token airdrop was also distributed, worth about $1.7 million, but this is negligible compared to the market capitalization of approximately $6.7 billion.

NEAR has also seen significant growth over 2026 and the past year, increasing by 209% and 77%, respectively. However, despite its impressive performance, NEAR has started to pull back, dropping about 6% since September 30.

Comparatively, Solana has climbed more slowly, with a 48% increase over the last 90 days. Solana's consistent investor backing is an advantage, with U.S. Solana ETFs seeing inflows for over 12 consecutive weeks, including a record intake of $188 million in the week ending September 25.