Deep Dive
1. Margin Policy Shift (Bearish Impact)
Overview: On 29 June 2025, Binance lowered RUNE’s collateral ratio for Portfolio Margin accounts from 70% to 55%, aligning it with riskier assets like SUSHI and ORDI. This forced some traders to reduce leverage or face liquidations.
What this means: The change reduced RUNE’s perceived stability as collateral, prompting margin traders to unwind positions. RUNE’s 24h trading volume spiked 60.6% to $1.02M, suggesting urgent selling.
What to look out for: Further adjustments to collateral policies by major exchanges like CoinEx, which supported RUNE’s network upgrade on 16 July.
2. Technical Breakdown (Bearish Impact)
Overview: RUNE broke below its 7-day SMA ($1.29) and Fibonacci 78.6% retracement level ($1.26), with RSI at 42.97 (neutral but trending downward). The MACD histogram turned negative (-0.00789), confirming bearish momentum.
What this means: Technical traders likely exited positions after the $1.26 support failed, targeting the next key level at $1.19 (2025 swing low). The pivot point at $1.26 now acts as resistance.
What to look out for: A close above $1.35 (30-day SMA) could signal recovery, while a drop below $1.19 risks accelerating losses.
3. DeFi Credit Concerns (Mixed Impact)
Overview: S&P’s 8 August B- rating for Sky Protocol (comparable to Congo’s sovereign debt) highlighted systemic risks in DeFi, including governance centralization and regulatory gaps.
What this means: While THORChain isn’t directly rated, the report eroded confidence in decentralized lending models. RUNE’s 30-day correlation with ETH (-23% vs BTC’s -69%) suggests it’s still tied to DeFi sentiment shifts.
Conclusion
RUNE’s drop reflects a mix of technical triggers and sector-wide caution, compounded by margin policy changes. While the protocol’s cross-chain utility (e.g., Solana integration via Rujira) offers long-term potential, short-term sentiment remains fragile.
Key watch: Can THORChain’s node operator growth (targeting 500+ decentralized validators) counterbalance selling pressure from margin adjustments? Monitor the $1.19–$1.26 range for directional clues.