Bitcoin’s (BTC) recent drop below $100,000 has triggered similar declines across major cryptocurrencies. Ethereum’s native token, Ether (ETH), has fallen below the $4,000 support level, while XRP (XRP) is now trading below $0.50.
Still, some altcoins promise upside potential for the coming weeks and months. They include Cardano (ADA), Stellar (XLM), and Neiro (NEIRO).
ADA is consolidating inside what appears to be a bull flag, a technical pattern characterized by two downward-sloping parallel trendlines forming after a strong uptrend.
Bull flags are typically bullish continuation patterns, resolving when the price breaks above the upper trendline and rises by as much as the previous uptrend’s height. Applying the same technical rule on the ADA/USD four-hour chart brings its bull flag breakout target to around $1.35, up approximately 20% from the current price levels.
Interestingly, the $1.35 level aligns with the lower trendline of ADA’s broader rising wedge pattern. In technical analysis, rising wedges are bearish reversal patterns that form when the price trends upward inside two converging, ascending trendlines. They resolve when the price breaks below the lower trendline and drops by as much as the wedge’s maximum height.
On Dec. 5, ADA broke below its wedge’s lower trendline but accompanied weaker volumes, indicating a lack of downside sentiment among traders. The cryptocurrency has since formed the bull flag pattern, and its breakout toward $1.35 could simultaneously see the price returning to confirm the wedge breakdown.
In other words, if ADA fails to hold above $1.35 after the breakout, it could resume its downtrend and reach the wedge’s breakdown target near $0.96 by December’s end—a 15% decline from current levels.
On the weekly chart, ADA hints at entering an extended consolidation range due to a mix of historical and other technical signals.
As of Dec. 9, the ADA/USD pair was trading inside the $0.92-1.34 area, which coincides with its 0.236 and 0.382 Fibonacci retracement lines. The lower boundary at around $0.92 further aligns with the upper trendline of ADA’s previous ascending channel.
Cardano has dropped by more than 17.50% a week after testing the $1.34 resistance level, which could consequently send its price lower toward the $0.02 support target. That amounts to a circa 18% correction.
From a technical perspective, trading inside the consolidation range—primarily after rallying by almost 300%—raises the possibility that ADA will enter a bullish continuation mode in 2025. Should this happen, Cardano will likely be eyeing a run-up toward its record high of $3.160 next year.
Stellar’s price has been consolidating inside what appears to be a bull pennant pattern since Nov. 23, boosting possibilities of further price gains in December 2024 and early 2025.
Bull pennants are bullish continuation patterns that typically form during an uptrend, characterized by converging trendlines as the price consolidates within a triangle-like structure. These patterns often signal that the price could break out toward the prevailing trend.
In XLM’s case, the preceding strong upward move reinforces the bullish outlook for the pennant. A breakout above the pattern’s upper trendline could trigger a rally, with the price potentially rising by the same height as the preceding uptrend, measured from the breakout point.
This move projects a target close to $0.85 on the four-hour chart—nearly a 90% gain from current levels.
However, the bullish scenario hinges on strong trading volumes accompanying the breakout.
A lack of momentum could lead to a false breakout, keeping the price inside the pennant or potentially triggering a downside correction. Immediate support for XLM is near $0.44, and a decisive drop below this level could invalidate the bullish setup, exposing the price to further losses.
Stellar is now encountering resistance near key Fibonacci retracement levels, hinting at a potential pullback or consolidation in the short term.
The Fibonacci retracement levels, drawn from the 2021 peak near $0.80 to the 2022 bottom around $0.07, show the 0.786 level near $0.64 acting as immediate resistance.
Historically, these levels are crucial zones where traders often take profits. Meanwhile, support sits near the 0.5 level, near $0.43. A sustained move above $0.64 could open the door for a retest of $0.80, with $1.25 as an extended target if bullish momentum persists.
The weekly RSI has entered the overbought territory, a potential signal of exhaustion. Overbought RSI conditions often precede periods of consolidation or correction. If XLM fails to break above $0.64 decisively, it could retrace toward lower support levels, particularly around $0.43 and $0.35, before attempting another rally.
NEIRO/USDT is trading within an ascending channel on the 4-hour chart, suggesting a steady uptrend supported by higher lows and higher highs.
The price recently tested the channel’s resistance near $0.00232 but faced rejection, which could signal a pullback toward the channel’s lower trendline. Immediate support lies around $0.00190, aligning with the ascending trendline, which has acted as a key level during the current uptrend.
The Fibonacci retracement levels, plotted from the recent swing high at $0.00307 to the swing low at $0.00164, reveal that NEIRO has been struggling to reclaim the 0.618 Fibonacci level at $0.00248, a common resistance zone during retracements.
A successful breakout above this level could see the price retest $0.00271 (the 0.786 Fibonacci level) and potentially climb toward the channel’s upper boundary near $0.00290.
Meanwhile, the RSI has been trending higher with an ascending support line, indicating that bullish momentum is intact. As long as the RSI avoids breaking its trendline, NEIRO’s price may sustain its upward trajectory.
However, a pullback toward $0.00190 cannot be ruled out, particularly if the price loses momentum near the current resistance. A decisive breakdown below this trendline could invalidate the bullish channel, exposing NEIRO to a deeper correction toward the 0.236 Fibonacci level at $0.00195.
Yashu Gola is a journalist focusing on cryptocurrency markets since 2014. He writes for Cointelegraph and CoinChapter and has previously served as the chief editor for NewsBTC.