TLDR
Mantle (MNT) fell 4.26% in the past 24h, underperforming the broader crypto market (-0.25%). Three key factors drove the dip:
- Post-Listing Selloff – Profit-taking after Coinbase’s MNT perpetual futures launch on Aug 21 (CryptoNews).
- Technical Resistance – Repeated rejection at $1.40, a key level below its April 2024 ATH of $1.51.
- Market-Wide Risk-Off – Altcoins broadly declined amid U.S. ETF outflows ($312M BTC, $240M ETH on Aug 20).
Deep Dive
1. Post-Listing Profit-Taking (Bearish Impact)
Overview: MNT rallied 26% in the week leading up to Coinbase International’s Aug 21 perpetual futures listing, reaching a 16-month high of $1.37. However, traders executed a classic “sell the news” move, with open interest declining post-launch.
What this means: Pre-event rallies often attract short-term traders who exit positions once liquidity peaks. Bybit (handling 37% of MNT’s volume) saw reduced buying pressure after its promotional campaigns ended, exacerbating the drop.
What to look out for: Derivatives data – MNT’s open interest fell 2.53% in 24h, signaling reduced speculative demand.
2. Technical Resistance at $1.40 (Mixed Impact)
Overview: MNT faced stiff resistance at $1.40, just 8% below its all-time high. The 7-day EMA ($1.25) failed to hold as support, while the RSI (65.72) cooled from overbought levels.
What this means: The rising wedge pattern since early August hinted at a potential reversal. Fibonacci retracement levels now place critical support at $1.12 (38.2%) and $1.04 (50%). A close below $1.23 (23.6%) could trigger further downside.
3. Altcoin Weakness (Bearish Impact)
Overview: The crypto Fear & Greed Index dipped to 56 (Neutral) from 70 (Greed) last month. ETH spot ETFs saw $240M outflows on Aug 20 – the third-largest daily exit – dampening sentiment for L2 tokens like MNT.
What this means: Mantle’s correlation with ETH (14.42% dominance) leaves it exposed to sector-wide rotations. Despite MNT’s 61% 30-day gain, traders shifted to cash amid macroeconomic uncertainty.
Conclusion
Mantle’s dip reflects a combination of tactical profit-taking, technical headwinds, and broader risk aversion. While its fundamentals remain strong (e.g., $714M stablecoin inflows, Bybit integration), short-term volatility may persist.
Key watch: Can MNT hold the $1.23 Fibonacci support, or will liquidations below $1.20 trigger a deeper correction toward $1.04?