Deep Dive
1. Liquidity Partnership Concerns (Bearish Impact)
Overview: On 15 August 2025, Manta Network loaned 7.5M MANTA (≈$804K at current prices) to Wintermute for liquidity provisioning. While intended to improve market depth, traders interpreted the unlocked tokens as potential sell-side risk.
What this means: The loan’s structure (repayable, not a grant) doesn’t guarantee selling, but the timing coincided with a -80.9% drop in MANTA’s 24h trading volume. Thin liquidity amplified downside volatility as bids evaporated.
What to watch: On-chain tracking of Wintermute’s wallet for unusual transfers.
2. Technical Breakdown (Bearish Impact)
Overview: MANTA broke below its 30-day SMA ($0.1125) and failed to reclaim the 23.6% Fibonacci retracement level ($0.155). The RSI-14 at 45.49 signals weakening momentum.
What this means: The price rejection at $0.12 aligns with historical resistance (May-June 2025). With the MACD histogram barely positive (+0.0028), bulls lack conviction to reverse the 90-day -55% trend.
Key level: A close below $0.10 (July 2025 swing low) could trigger panic selling.
3. Altcoin Sentiment Erosion (Bearish Impact)
Overview: Crypto’s Altcoin Season Index sits at 30/100 (neutral), with Bitcoin dominance rising to 59.24%. MANTA’s 24h volume plummeted 80.9% to $17.9M, reflecting dwindling speculative interest.
What this means: Traders are favoring “safe” assets like BTC amid a fear-driven market (CMC Fear & Greed Index: 24/100). Layer-2 projects like MANTA face headwinds as Ethereum’s dominance also slips (-11.94% vs. June 2025).
Conclusion
MANTA’s drop reflects project-specific risks (token unlocks) and sector-wide apathy toward mid-cap alts. While its Symbiotic staking mainnet (launched 28 October) adds long-term utility, traders are pricing in near-term liquidity risks.
Key watch: Can MANTA stabilize above the 30-day SMA ($0.1125) if BTC holds $150K support? Monitor Wintermute’s wallet activity for clarity on sell pressure.