Deep Dive
1. Legal Uncertainty (Bearish Impact)
Overview: Terraform Labs founder Do Kwon’s guilty plea to fraud charges (17 Aug 2025) remains a drag, with investors wary of ongoing lawsuits and potential asset seizures. While LUNA’s price initially stabilized post-plea, the lack of resolution in South Korean proceedings and a $4.5B SEC settlement (Coindesk) have reignited concerns about long-term liabilities.
What this means: Legal risks deter institutional interest and create selling pressure from holders exiting positions. The token’s 66% annual decline reflects persistent distrust in Terra’s ecosystem post-collapse.
What to look out for: Updates on Kwon’s sentencing (DOJ recommends ≤12 years) and South Korea’s extradition efforts.
2. Technical Weakness (Bearish Impact)
Overview: LUNA broke below its 7-day SMA ($0.145) and 30-day SMA ($0.149), with the MACD histogram (-0.002) signaling accelerating bearish momentum. The RSI (34.35) nears oversold territory but lacks bullish divergence.
What this means: Traders are exiting on breakdowns, targeting Fibonacci support at $0.129 (swing low). The 200-day EMA ($0.197) remains a distant resistance, discouraging dip-buying.
Key threshold: A close below $0.129 could trigger a 15% drop toward the 2025 low of $0.125.
3. Liquidity Crunch (Mixed Impact)
Overview: LUNA’s turnover ratio (0.218) indicates thin markets, where $20.7M daily volume struggles to absorb sell orders. This exacerbates downside moves, as seen in the 27% 24h volume spike during the dip.
What this means: Low liquidity magnifies price swings, creating a feedback loop of panic selling. However, it also raises potential for short-term rebounds if buy-side liquidity improves.
Conclusion
LUNA’s decline reflects a toxic mix of unresolved legal risks, deteriorating technicals, and fragile liquidity. While oversold conditions might invite speculative bids, the lack of fundamental catalysts and regulatory clarity limits upside.
Key watch: Can LUNA hold $0.129 support, or will the Terra ecosystem’s legal scars trigger new lows? Monitor Kwon’s sentencing timeline and Bitcoin’s dominance (58.18%) for broader market cues.