Latest Chainlink (LINK) Price Analysis

By CMC AI
01 February 2026 03:51AM (UTC+0)

Why is LINK’s price down today? (01/02/2026)

TLDR

Chainlink (LINK) fell 6.59% over the last 24h, extending a 7-day loss of 16.89%. The drop was driven by a crypto-wide downturn, negative technical breakdowns, and fading ETF inflows despite strong fundamentals.

  1. Market-Wide Liquidation: Crypto market cap dropped 5.87% in 24h, with $770M Bitcoin liquidations fueling altcoin selling.

  2. Technical Breakdown: LINK broke below $12 support, triggering stop-losses as bearish RSI and MACD signals intensified.

  3. ETF Inflow Slowdown: Grayscale's LINK ETF saw zero inflows for two days, contrasting with Solana and XRP ETF demand.

Deep Dive

1. Market-Wide Liquidation (Bearish Impact)

Overview: The total crypto market cap fell 5.87% in 24 hours (CoinMarketCap), led by Bitcoin’s 5.1% drop and $770M in BTC liquidations. Altcoins like LINK typically underperform in such conditions due to higher volatility and risk-off rotation.
What this means: Liquidations forced leveraged traders to sell assets, including LINK, to cover margin calls. With market fear extreme (CMC Fear & Greed Index: 18), capital fled to stablecoins or Bitcoin, pressuring altcoins.

2. Technical Breakdown (Bearish Impact)

Overview: LINK broke below the $12 support level on January 30, accelerating its downtrend. The 7-day RSI of 14.57 signals extreme oversold conditions, yet selling continued (Coin Edition).
What this means: Technical traders interpreted the breakdown as a bearish signal, triggering automated sell orders. With LINK trading below all key moving averages (7-day SMA: $11.31; 200-day SMA: $17.42), the path of least resistance remains down until buyers reclaim $12.

3. ETF Inflow Slowdown (Bearish Impact)

Overview: Grayscale’s LINK ETF (GLNK) recorded zero inflows for two consecutive days after averaging $4.1M daily earlier in January. Meanwhile, XRP and Solana ETFs saw $1.2B and $816M inflows, respectively (CoinMarketCap).
What this means: Weaker ETF demand reduces institutional buying support for LINK, amplifying retail-driven selling. Despite Chainlink’s strategic reserve adding 99K LINK (valued at ~$1M) to curb supply, the market focused on fading ETF interest.

Conclusion

LINK’s drop reflects a perfect storm of market-wide deleveraging, technical stop-loss triggers, and fading ETF momentum – outweighing strong fundamentals like reserve accumulation. Key watch: Can Bitcoin stabilize above $85,000 to halt altcoin bleeding, and will LINK ETFs see revived inflows in the next 48h?

Why is LINK’s price up today? (30/01/2026)

TLDR

Chainlink rose 0.93% over the last 24h, underperforming its 1h gain (+3.31%) but showing resilience amid broader market stagnation. Key drivers:

  1. Whale Accumulation – Top wallets added $8.5M+ in LINK since Dec 25, signaling confidence.

  2. Reserve Growth – Chainlink’s treasury bought 99K LINK (total: 1.77M), tightening supply.

  3. Institutional Adoption – CME futures and Grayscale/Bitwise ETPs expanded access.


Deep Dive

1. Strategic Reserve Expansion (Bullish Impact)

Overview: Chainlink added 99,103 LINK ($1.09M) to its reserves on Jan 31 – the largest single purchase since Q4 2025. Reserves now hold 1.77M LINK, up 377% YoY, funded by on-chain fees and institutional revenue.
What this means: Reserve buys reduce circulating supply and signal long-term commitment, creating scarcity that could amplify price moves when demand rebounds. Despite a -36% YTD price drop, network fees hit ATHs ($6.8M on Ethereum alone), showing robust usage.
Watch: Sustained reserve buys and fee revenue trends (AMBCrypto).

2. Whale Activity & ETF Inflows (Mixed Impact)

Overview: Whales withdrew 695,783 LINK ($8.52M) from exchanges in 48 hours, while LINK ETFs saw $1.4M inflows on Jan 29 (total AUM: $81.8M). However, ETF demand remains muted vs. competitors like Solana.
What this means: Whale accumulation suggests belief in undervaluation, but weak ETF flows highlight lingering institutional caution. LINK’s -47% YTD underperformance vs. ETH (-12%) reflects this divergence.
Watch: Feb 9 CME ADA futures launch – a LINK breakout could follow if derivatives interest spills over.

3. Technical Rebound From Oversold Levels (Neutral)

Overview: LINK rebounded from $10.83 (Jan 30 low) with RSI(14) at 31.78 (near oversold) and MACD hinting at bullish crossover. However, it remains below key resistance ($13.02 – 38.2% Fib).
What this means: Short-term relief rally likely, but sustained recovery needs a close above $12.60 (50% Fib). Current turnover (7.6%) indicates moderate liquidity to support moves.


Conclusion

LINK’s uptick reflects strategic accumulation by whales/reserves and oversold technicals, but broader skepticism persists due to weak ETF traction and altcoin market saturation (top 10 tokens hold 82% of altcap). Key watch: LINK’s ability to hold $11.59 (78.6% Fib) – a breakdown could retest $10.60 support.

CMC AI can make mistakes. Not financial advice.