Austin Barack
CIO of RockawayX Liquid, Fundamental Long/Short Investing
Zcash's leverage reset to open-interest range lows near 1.1 million ZEC could support a quick move to new highs if momentum returns. Holding its 50-day moving average is a positive first signal, but a sustained reclaim of the blue trendline near $1,330 is the second signal needed for that strong setup. x.comÂ
Zcash looks headed for price discovery after a meaningful open interest reset while price ground higher, a setup that resembles August 21. x.comÂ
Zcash's cooling social attention points to a multi-week bottoming process nearing its end. The Rollup counts 4,100 weekly ZEC mentions from accounts with over 1,000 followers, down 42% in a week and 68% from the peak of 12,800. x.comÂ
Zcash is the primary momentum trade as its activity expands through NEAR Intents: CoinDesk reports daily Zcash volume routed through Intents increased sixfold. That routing growth is the fundamental receipt, and the setup holds while Zcash activity keeps expanding through Intents. x.comÂ
Low liquidity could cause sharp downside wicks in altcoins over the coming days. Uniswap at $3-6 and Zcash near $800 are levels of interest for bids. Trader_XO sees Zcash near $800, a call that holds here too; the level is expected before year-end. x.com x.com x.comÂ
Zcash could surge once the next four-year crypto cycle begins, expected in October 2026. ZEC rose about 500% from October 2025 through the market's down phase with the whole market against it, and the actual cycle tailwind has yet to arrive. x.comÂ
ZEC gains a continuous create-redeem mechanism for the first time as Grayscale's Zcash trust converts to a spot ETF on NYSE. ZEC is back in the zone that capped previous cycles: $22 to $900 in 2017, $18 to $372 in 2021, and $16 to $850 now. Holding $900 keeps the stance long and aggressive; losing it brings $590-600 into view. Whether the broader market retraces in September is the bigger question, but the long-term position is comfortable either way. x.comÂ
Zcash is showing weakness, and its super-illiquid spot book means profit-taking by spot holders can drive a sharply convex move to the downside. Broader risk appetite also appears to be weakening. x.comÂ
Zcash is being bought heavily by institutions, and $5,000-10,000 per ZEC could come fast at this pace. It just broke above $1,400, about 70 times its 2024 low near $20, after a selloff to $250 roughly six months ago. x.com x.comÂ
Zcash offers Bitcoin-style scarcity with privacy, and its chart points to $2,191 if it clears resistance. Like Bitcoin it is mined and capped at 21 million coins, but shielded sends hide sender, receiver and amount, and viewing keys allow selective disclosure. Cypherpunk Technologies holds ZEC as its treasury and aims for 5% of supply. Price is holding just under the 2.618 Fibonacci level at $1,637; a clean break opens the 3.618 at $2,191, with support around $1,100-$1,250. x.comÂ
Zcash is entering a profit-taking zone after moving above key levels into a stretched area. Per Alphractal, NUPL is at 0.53, showing holders sit on strong unrealized profits, while whales holding 100K-1M ZEC are starting to sell. Those who bought much lower should consider taking some profits here. x.comÂ
Zcash and Hyperliquid could face less selling pressure because they have newer, stronger narratives than NEAR and fewer holders waiting to sell at breakeven. Their appeal this cycle rests on narrative and hype; they look like this cycle's Ether and Solana. x.com x.com x.comÂ
