Are Meme Coins Hurting Solana? Rising Selling Pressure Sparks Investor Concerns

Solana has faced increasing selling pressure and negative sentiment as the broader meme coin market continues to decline, impacting overall market performance. Analysts suggest that excessive speculation on meme coins is a key reason why altcoins, including Solana, are underperforming compared to Bitcoin. The hype-driven nature of these tokens has led to extreme volatility, making investors more cautious about altcoin exposure.

Meme coins are now seen as a risk factor for Solana’s ecosystem. A recent rug pull involving LIBRA, a meme coin endorsed by Argentina’s President Javier Milei, has intensified concerns among investors. This incident has shaken confidence in the network, as it highlights the dangers of speculative trading and potential scams within the Solana ecosystem.

As a result, SOL has dropped 10% over the past week and remains down 40% from its January peak, signaling a clear trend of declining momentum. Additionally, trading volumes on decentralized exchanges (DEXs) have decreased significantly, reflecting growing investor hesitancy. Solana and the market face a critical moment, with analysts closely watching whether the network can recover from the damage caused by meme coin speculation or if further downside is expected.

Solana Enters A CRucial Phase

The meme coin euphoria that fueled Solana’s price surge for months is now unraveling, exposing the network to increased volatility and uncertainty. While Solana benefited from the speculative boom of meme coins, it was only a matter of time before the highly speculative market faced reality and started creating problems.

Crypto analyst Axel Adler shared an analysis on X, warning that meme coins are actively hurting Solana’s long-term sustainability. The most recent example is the LIBRA rug pull, a meme coin that gained traction due to its association with Argentina’s President Javier Milei, only to collapse, leaving investors in losses. This event has heightened investor concerns and accelerated selling pressure on Solana, which has dropped 10% over the past week and 40% from its January peak.

Beyond price action, Solana’s decentralized exchange (DEX) trading volumes have also taken a hit, dropping 25% in the last week, while the Raydium DEX alone saw a 47% decrease. This decline signals weakening investor confidence in Solana’s DeFi and trading ecosystem.

Adding to the concerns, on March 1, 11.2 million SOL will be unlocked—these tokens, initially sold off during FTX’s bankruptcy, were later acquired by major firms like Galaxy, Pantera, and Figure. This large token unlock could further pressure the price if these firms decide to offload their holdings.

With meme coin speculation cooling off, Solana now faces a crucial test: can it regain investor trust and stabilize, or will further downside follow as selling pressure intensifies? The coming weeks will be critical in determining the network’s ability to recover from this downturn.

SOL Holding Crucial Demand

Solana (SOL) is trading at $184 after losing the 200-day exponential moving average (EMA) around $190, signaling increased selling pressure. The price is now testing the 200-day simple moving average (SMA), a crucial long-term support level that bulls must defend to prevent further downside.

If bulls fail to hold the 200-day SMA, a massive correction could follow, potentially pushing SOL into lower demand zones around $175 or even $160. The sentiment around SOL remains fragile as meme coin speculation continues to fade, dragging Solana’s ecosystem with it.

For bullish momentum to return, SOL must reclaim the $190 level and push above the psychological $200 mark as soon as possible. A break and hold above $200 would confirm a short-term reversal, helping SOL regain strength and potentially target higher supply levels around $220–$230.

However, failure to bounce from current levels would indicate further downside risks, with more liquidations and selling pressure likely to follow. Given the negative sentiment surrounding meme coins and upcoming token unlocks, SOL is at a critical inflection point, where its next move will determine short-term market direction.

Featured image from Dall-E, chart from TradingView