Cardano’s ADA 37,851% Activity Surge Sparks Speculation, What’s Driving Wild Ride?

Cardano is off to a solid start in 2026; the 10th largest cryptocurrency is seeing a price rise, up 7% on a 24-hour basis to outperform major cryptos.

At the time of writing, ADA was up 7.34% in the last 24 hours to $0.368 and up 5.66% weekly.

Cardano is showing steady gains at 2026’s start as traders return from the holiday break. Aside from Dogecoin, which was up 11% in the last 24 hours, ADA led gains among the top 10 cryptocurrencies as risk appetite improved across markets.

Coinciding with the surge in the ADA price in the last 24 hours is a wild surge in futures activity as derivatives traders adjust positioning.

According to CoinGlass data, Cardano surged 37,851% in futures volume on the Bitmex crypto exchange to reach $255.52 million.

Across the crypto market, the setup remains supportive with a weaker dollar and improving equity sentiment supporting this, yet traders remain cautious after a late-2025 period marked by thin liquidity and quick profit-taking.

Cardano price targets

Cardano reversed a four-day drop, which took place from Dec. 28 to 31, recovering from a low of $0.3297.

Cardano rebounded from a Jan. 1 low of $0.331, reaching an intraday high of $0.37. Despite this recovery, ADA has stayed in a range between $0.33 and $0.40 since mid-December.

The first sign of strength would be a break and close above the $0.3842 high. ADA could then rise to the 50-day SMA at $0.407, where sellers might mount a strong defense. If buyers overcome the barrier, Cardano’s price could reach the $0.50 target.

On the other hand, bears will try to strengthen their position by pulling ADA’s price below the $0.33 level. If they succeed, ADA could plummet to $0.30 and later to the Oct. 10 low of $0.27.