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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.