Deep Dive
1. Institutional Selling Pressure (Bearish Impact)
Overview:
A wallet linked to Compound’s team deposited 250,100 COMP ($11.2M) to Coinbase Prime on May 16, 2025 – its first major move in nine months (CoinMarketCap). Separately, a16z transferred 300K COMP ($13.75M) to Coinbase on June 28, retaining 500K COMP.
What this means:
Large institutional holders historically influence COMP’s price – a16z alone controls ~5% of circulating supply. While not confirmed sales, these transfers to custodial exchanges typically precede liquidations, creating psychological selling pressure. COMP’s 24h volume fell 15% to $29.6M, amplifying sensitivity to whale activity.
What to watch:
On-chain movements via Spotonchain and exchange order book depth.
2. DeFi Lending Market Shifts (Mixed Impact)
Overview:
Compound’s TVL has stagnated at $133.5M on Arbitrum (per July 2025 data), while Morpho Blue – a peer-to-peer lending competitor – saw 240% TVL growth in Q2 2025.
What this means:
Investors increasingly favor protocols offering customizable risk parameters and higher yields. While Compound remains a DeFi staple, its cToken model is perceived as less flexible versus newer entrants. The sector-wide DeFi TVL decline (-9% MoM) compounded COMP’s struggles.
What to watch:
August 12 proposal to integrate Uniswap LP as collateral in Compound V3 – approval could revive utility.
3. Technical Rejection at Key Level (Neutral Impact)
Overview:
COMP failed to hold above the 30-day SMA ($45.16) despite a brief spike to $54.02 on July 14. The MACD histogram turned positive (+0.33), but RSI (51.71) shows weak momentum.
What this means:
Traders viewed the $45 zone as a liquidity pocket – 78.6% Fibonacci retracement sits at $44.42. The rejection triggered algorithmic sell orders and profit-taking from July’s 29% rally.
Key level to watch:
Sustained closes above $46.71 (61.8% Fib) needed to reverse the bearish structure.
Conclusion
COMP’s dip reflects sector rotation away from legacy DeFi protocols, technical profit-taking, and anxiety around concentrated token holdings. While the protocol remains critical infrastructure, its price action increasingly depends on governance upgrades to counter newer rivals.
Key watch: Will the August 12 security budget proposal (allocating $2M to audits) restore confidence in COMP’s roadmap? Monitor DAO voting turnout and whale participation.