Monero market cap surpasses Pepe’s after hitting four-year high

• Monero extends its gains for seventh consecutive day on Wednesday, trading above $340 for the first time since August 2021.
• XMR’s market capitalization climbs to $6.43 billion, overtaking that of popular meme coin Pepe.
• On-chain metrics show a steady rise in open interest since early May, suggesting strong buying interest and increased investor participation.

Monero (XMR) price extends its gains for a seventh consecutive day on Wednesday, trading above $340 for the first time since August 2021. With the latest price rally, the privacy-focused cryptocurrency's market capitalization has reached $6.43 billion, overtaking that of popular meme coinPepe. On-chain data shows that XMR open interest continues to climb, suggesting strong buying interest and increased investor participation.

Monero’s market capitalization soars to $6.43 billion

CoinGecko data show that Monero’s market capitalization reached $6.43 billion on Wednesday, surpassing that of the Pepe meme coin and currently taking the 29th position in the overall crypto market capitalization table. 

The renewed interest and rising demand for privacy coins came at the end of April, when a massive transfer of 3,520 BTC, worth approximately $330.7 million, was potentially a theft. The funds were laundered through over six instant exchanges and swapped for Monero, which caused a sharp price spike in XMR due to the sudden demand, as explained in the previous report.

Monero’s market capitalization chart. Source: CoinGecko

Monero’s on-chain metrics show strong buying interest and increased investor participation. CoinGlass’ data shows that the futures’ Open Interest (OI) in XMR has constantly risen since early May, reaching its highest year-to-date level. An increasing OI represents new or additional money entering the market and new buying, which could fuel the current XMR price rally.

XMR open interest chart. Source: Coinglass

Monero’s Price Forecast: XMR bulls aim for $356

Monero’s weekly chart broke above the key resistance level at $340.98 last week, continuing its five-weekly streak since early April. As this week begins, it continues its gain, reaching above $340, a level not seen since August 2021.

If XMR continues its upward trend, it could extend the rally toward at $356.59, which aligns with the 61.8% Fibonacci retracement level (drawn from the May 2021 high of $517.60 to the June 2022 low of $96.10).

The Relative Strength Index (RSI) on the weekly chart reads 80, above its overbought level of 70, pointing upward, indicating strong bullish momentum. However, traders should be cautious as the chances of a pullback are high due to the extremely overbought condition.

XMR/USD daily chart

If XMR faces a correction, it could extend the decline to retest its 50% price retracement level at $306.85.