Latest Stellar (XLM) Price Analysis

By CMC AI
12 September 2025 03:31PM (UTC+0)

Why is XLM’s price up today? (12/09/2025)

TLDR

Stellar (XLM) rose 1.21% in the past 24h, outperforming the broader crypto market’s +1.15% gain. Key drivers include bullish technical momentum, strategic partnerships, and network upgrades.

  1. Protocol 23 Upgrade Goes Live – Enhanced scalability and smart contract efficiency.

  2. Visa Partnership Speculation – Expanding use in global payments.

  3. Technical Breakout – Price holds above key moving averages.

Deep Dive

1. Protocol 23 Upgrade (Bullish Impact)

Overview: Stellar’s Protocol 23 went live on September 3, 2025, introducing parallel smart contract execution and improved data handling. The upgrade aims to boost transaction throughput to 5,000 TPS, aligning with institutional demand for real-world asset tokenization.

What this means: Increased scalability reduces costs and latency, making Stellar more competitive in DeFi and cross-border payments. The upgrade follows Franklin Templeton’s $445M U.S. Treasuries tokenization on Stellar, reinforcing institutional confidence.

What to look out for: Adoption metrics for Soroban smart contracts and TVL growth post-upgrade.

2. Visa Partnership & DTCC Patent (Mixed Impact)

Overview: Stellar’s integration into a DTCC patent for digital liquidity tokens (September 7) and rumors of a Visa collaboration for stablecoin settlements fueled speculation.

What this means: While unconfirmed, these developments signal growing traction in traditional finance. However, MEXC’s delisting of XLM futures contracts on September 5 introduced short-term volatility.

3. Technical Momentum (Bullish Impact)

Overview: XLM trades at $0.392, above its 7-day SMA ($0.372) and 30-day EMA ($0.383). The RSI (14-day: 55) and MACD histogram (+0.0042) suggest balanced bullish momentum.

What this means: A breakout above the $0.405 Fibonacci level (50% retracement) could target $0.47 resistance. However, failure to hold $0.39 support may trigger profit-taking.

Conclusion

XLM’s rise reflects optimism around Protocol 23’s real-world utility and strategic financial partnerships, offsetting broader market headwinds. Key watch: Can XLM sustain momentum above $0.40 amid rising altcoin rotation (Altcoin Season Index +91% in 30 days)?

Why is XLM’s price down today? (11/09/2025)

TLDR

Stellar (XLM) rose 0.46% over the last 24h but underperformed vs. its 7-day rally (+6.94%). The muted movement reflects mixed technical signals and profit-taking after recent gains.

  1. Technical Resistance (Bearish Impact) – Failed breakout attempts at $0.41–$0.42 triggered selling.

  2. Market-Wide Consolidation (Neutral Impact) – Crypto fear/greed index at 47 (neutral), with BTC dominance rising slightly.

  3. Protocol 23 Upgrade Anticipation (Bullish Catalyst) – Network upgrades on Sept 3 boosted long-term sentiment but caused short-term volatility.

Deep Dive

1. Technical Resistance (Bearish Impact)

Overview: XLM faced rejection at the $0.41–$0.42 resistance zone, aligning with Fibonacci retracement levels (23.6% at $0.437). The 30-day SMA ($0.3907) acted as dynamic resistance.

What this means: Repeated failures to break higher eroded trader confidence, triggering profit-taking. The RSI (50.89) and MACD (0.0026) signaled neutral momentum, lacking clear directional bias.

What to watch: A sustained close above $0.42 could reignite bullish momentum, while a drop below $0.38 (7-day SMA) may deepen corrections.

2. Market-Wide Consolidation (Neutral Impact)

Overview: The total crypto market cap dipped 0.003% in 24h, with derivatives open interest rising 10.24%—a sign of speculative hedging. XLM’s 24h volume surged 24% to $301M, suggesting mixed sentiment.

What this means: XLM mirrored the broader market’s indecision, struggling to decouple from Bitcoin’s sideways movement. Altcoin season index rose 34% weekly, but risk appetite remains cautious.

3. Protocol 23 Upgrade Aftermath (Bullish Catalyst)

Overview: Stellar’s Protocol 23 went live on Sept 3, improving scalability for smart contracts and RWA tokenization. This followed Visa’s integration of Stellar for stablecoin settlements (Aug 18).

What this means: While upgrades strengthened institutional interest (e.g., WisdomTree’s $99B fund deployment), short-term traders sold the news. Open interest for XLM futures hit $620M on Sept 8, reflecting leveraged speculation.

Conclusion

XLM’s flat 24h performance stems from technical resistance and market-wide consolidation, offset by optimism around its protocol upgrades. Key watch: Can XLM hold above $0.38 and capitalize on its Visa partnership to retest $0.42? Monitor Bitcoin’s movement—a break above $124K could reignite altcoin rallies.

CMC AI can make mistakes. Not financial advice.