Deep Dive
1. Post-Challenge Sell Pressure (Bearish Impact)
Overview: Steemit’s Season 28 Challenge concluded on December 7, 2025, after a week of incentivized user engagement. Participants earned STEEM rewards for content creation, which may have been sold post-deadline to lock in gains.
What this means: Platform-native reward programs often create temporary sell pressure after expiration. Historical data shows similar patterns in prior Steemit seasons, where short-term price dips followed event closures (kanalcoin.com).
What to watch: STEEM’s on-chain activity (transactions, active addresses) for signs of renewed engagement or prolonged stagnation.
2. Upbit Liquidity Resumption (Mixed Impact)
Overview: Upbit, South Korea’s largest exchange, reactivated STEEM deposits/withdrawals on December 5 after wallet maintenance. Users must generate new addresses, but the phased reopening likely eased prior liquidity constraints.
What this means: While improved access can boost trading volume, it also allows dormant holders to offload tokens. STEEM’s 24h volume rose 25% to $10.4M, aligning with increased sell-side activity post-reopening (Upbit Guide).
What to watch: Exchange inflow/outflow metrics to gauge whether deposits outweigh withdrawals.
3. Technical Weakness (Bearish Bias)
Overview: STEEM trades below its 7-day SMA ($0.0746) and pivot point ($0.0732), with RSI-14 at 39.6 (neutral but bear-leaning). The MACD histogram shows faint bullish momentum, but Fibonacci retracement levels place resistance at $0.0895 (23.6%) – 17% above current prices.
What this means: The lack of bullish catalysts and persistent downtrend (45% drop over 90 days) reinforces negative sentiment. Weak volume and low liquidity (turnover ratio: 0.27) amplify volatility risks.
What to watch: A sustained break above the 7-day SMA ($0.0746) could signal short-term relief.
Conclusion
STEEM’s decline reflects a mix of profit-taking after its flagship event, exchange-driven liquidity shifts, and entrenched bearish technicals. While community initiatives may stabilize engagement, broader market headwinds (Bitcoin dominance at 58.45%, “Fear” sentiment) limit upside potential.
Key watch: Can STEEM hold the $0.0677 Fibonacci swing low, or will breaking it accelerate the downtrend?