Cardano price could surge to $2 as whale purchases rise

Cardano price has remained in a tight range over the past few weeks as market participants await the next catalyst.

Cardano (ADA) was trading at $0.760, down by 43% from its highest level in December last year. It has underperformed other popular coins like Mantra (OM) and Cronos (CRO) this month. 

Cardano has three main catalysts that could propel it to $2 in the coming months. First, there are signs that whales are accumulating the coin in anticipation of more gains ahead. Data shows that whales have acquired over 240 million ADA coins in the past week, valued at over $182 million. The whale purchasing trend appears to be gaining momentum.

Second, Cardano could benefit from the likely approval of a spot ADA exchange-traded fund by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Grayscale Tuttle Capital Management have already submitted applications.

An ADA fund would be a positive development for the coin, as it could lead to more inflows from institutional investors.

Third, data shows that more investors are staking their Cardano coins, signaling that they intend to hold them long-term. The staking market cap has jumped by 8.1% to $16.1 billion, while the yield stands at 2.60%.

Cardano price technical analysis

The other catalyst for ADA price is that it is in the second phase of the Elliott Wave pattern. This phase is characterized by a brief pullback, followed by the third bullish wave — typically the longest.

Cardano has likely completed the second phase and is poised to enter the third wave, which could push it to the psychological level of $2. This target aligns with the 38.2% retracement level and represents a 160% increase from the current price.

Cardano remains above the 50-week Exponential Moving Average and is forming a bullish flag pattern, a bullish continuation signal comprising a vertical line and a flag-like consolidation.

However, this prediction is based on the weekly chart, meaning the pattern could take time to fully develop. The flag section of the bullish flag has already taken more than three months to form.