Cardano Price Struggles to Match Peers Amid Bearish On-Chain Metrics

The price of Cardano (ADA) has been lagging behind its peers in recent times, failing to replicate the growth seen in Bitcoin and Ethereum.

While ADA has gained 2.12% in the past 24 hours, reaching a price of $0.243, this is significantly lower than the 5.64% and 9% growth witnessed by BTC and ETH over the same timeframe.

This trend is concerning for Cardano, as it appears to be depegging from two of the largest cryptocurrencies by market cap. Bitcoin has broken out to reclaim $74,500, and Ethereum has served as a higher-leverage beta play for the premier crypto asset, reaching $2,388.

Cardano's on-chain metrics also suggest a bearish trend, with decreased open interest and futures flow. The current ADA price lies below the 50-day simple moving average (SMA) at $0.260, which is crucial in determining price trends. Trading below this MA reinforces bearish trends, while breaking above it could shift momentum to the bullish side.

The 50D SMA has been a key resistance for Cardano since early October 2025, and its failure to sustainably trade above it has resulted in a significant drop in price. Breaking above this MA could be the gamechanger for ADA, but until then, bears are still in control, and the coin could continue to underperform against Bitcoin and Ethereum.