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How to Use This Price Tracker
Cryptocurrency pricing data can help investors find opportunities in the market and make more informed investment decisions. NextAdvisor’s price tracker shows historical price, trading volume, market capitalization, and other important metrics for investors, especially those who are just starting to dip their toes into crypto investing.
While everyday investors probably don’t need every last bell and whistle to make informed investment decisions, there are some generally applicable key crypto metrics and indicators worth considering:
Crypto Indicators and Metrics for Beginner Investors
Price: As with any investment, price is where it starts and ends for investors. Pricing is highly volatile in cryptocurrency, but viewed over time can give investors an idea of how a given coin’s value has gone up (or down) over time.
Market Capitalization: In general, the higher the value of the market cap the safer the investment. Market cap is the total value of a cryptocurrency, and is calculated by multiplying the price of the cryptocurrency with the number of coins in circulation. The amount of tokens or coins circulating can be viewed as an indicator of a coin’s demand.
Volume: Higher volume typically means a given cryptocurrency has more market liquidity, meaning more ability for investors to sell an investment when they want to realize a profit. It represents how much crypto is bought and sold over a period of time, typically 24 hours.
About Solana
There are a lot of “ethereum killers” out there, but if there’s one that you should pay particular attention to, it’s solana (SOL). The blockchain platform has picked up steam over the last year, becoming the second-largest smart-contract network behind ethereum.
“Solana is supposed to do what ethereum does, but better, quicker and cheaper,” says Georgiy Roykhman, crypto investor and founder of the financial education channel Funancialism. “It’s especially gaining ground for those who want access to NFT projects because it’s a cheaper point of entry.”
Solana’s transaction fees are a tiny fraction of ethereum’s, making it much more affordable to do things like buy, sell, or trade NFTs, which exploded in popularity in 2021. The explosion of NFTs led solana’s price to skyrocket to an all-time high of $260 last year, placing it in the top 10 cryptocurrencies by market cap. Solana is also faster and more technologically developed than other blockchains, though it has been criticized for having several major network outages over the last year. Like other cryptos in the market, solana (SOL) is currently experiencing a pullback in price as investors retreat from risky assets amid macroeconomic uncertainty.
“I would have expected solana to drop a little faster than other altcoins,” says Roykhman. “However, it’s on pace with the rest of the crypto bear market and has managed to hang in there.”
How Does Solana Work?
Solana was born out of a white paper published in 2017 by Anatoly Yakovenko, a Russian computer engineer and now CEO of solana, who described a way to verify transactions on the blockchain using a system known as proof of history (PoH). Developers Greg Fitzgerald and Stephen Akridge also worked on the project, publishing code that relied on timestamps to verify transactions on the blockchain. The SOL coin launched in 2020.
Solana was largely unknown until 2021 when it began gaining traction in the marketplace. Considered an “ethereum killer,” solana is known for faster transaction times and lower costs than ethereum and considered a popular alternative for building decentralized apps and trading NFTs. Additionally, as concerns about energy use by blockchain technology grow, solana claims it’s a more environmentally-friendly blockchain. An average Solana transaction uses less energy than three Google searches, according to a March energy report published by the crypto network.
What sets Solana apart from other cryptocurrencies is its proof of history (PoH) technology to verify transactions on the network. Timestamps are used as part of the process, allowing computers around the world to agree on a time that the transaction took place and to determine which order the transactions occur.
According to solana, an individual computer could verify the entire public transaction record on the blockchain because of the timestamp — and accomplish this without the need to be connected to the network. Even with this assurance, however, solana has experienced several recent network outages and failures. In the beginning of June, validators in the network stopped processing new blocks for several hours and apps built on solana’s blockchain were taken offline, which sent solana’s price down more than 12%.
“When something gets hyped, like an NFT project, all the traffic can overwhelm the network and it goes down,” Roykhman says. “Solana gets hammered for halting trades and network outages.”
What Gives Solana Its Value?
Like other “ethereum killers,” solana’s value lies in its fast transaction speed and low cost. Its blockchain processes more than 2,000 transactions per second, and its average cost per transaction is $0.00025, according to its website. That’s significantly less than ethereum, which averages 30 transactions per second and costs as high $200 per transaction.
Crypto investors looking for a blockchain platform that has proven its use case but that isn’t as expensive as ethereum are often drawn to solana, Roykhman points out. However, even with increased speed and lower fees, it’s important to be careful when evaluating a cryptocurrency for long-term value. Medhin suggests that a lot of hype around altcoins drives prices, and many of them may not hold value or survive the market in the long term.
Solana Market Cap
Solana’s market capitalization has seen a huge range recently, from about $12 billion to more than $75 billion. The exact number is found by multiplying the current number of coins in existence — nearly 342 million — with its price at a given time. As solana’s price fluctuates, which it does frequently, so too does its market capitalization. In the past few weeks, solana’s price has been between $30 to $130, which translates into a significant range in market capitalization:
$30 x $342 million = $ 10.3 billion
$70 x $342 million = $23.9 billion
$120 x $342 million = $41 billion
How to Buy Solana
Because solana is a fairly popular altcoin, it’s easy to buy. You can buy solana by first choosing an established cryptocurrency exchange that guarantees security, ease, and the ability to pull out your funds at any given moment. Popular exchanges that allow you to buy solana include Coinbase, FTX.US, Crypto.com, Binance.US, and Kraken. Using an exchange like Coinbase or Crypto.com may have higher fees, but may be worth the additional cost for ease and security, especially if you’re just starting to invest in crypto.
After researching cryptocurrency exchanges, you can choose one that works for you and open an account. You’ll need to connect your bank account or use another funding source to transfer fiat currency into your crypto wallet on the exchange. Once you’ve set up your account, you can purchase as little as $1 of solana on most crypto exchanges.
Before investing in any crypto, make sure to do your due diligence and limit your exposure to risk. Only invest what you’re OK with losing as all cryptocurrencies are highly speculative and volatile. Experts recommend that you limit your total cryptocurrency exposure to 5% of your investment portfolio. Before investing in crypto, make sure you have a well-stocked emergency fund, paid off high-interest debt, and are investing in a tax-advantaged retirement account.
Once you have your solana coins, you have several options of where to store them. With many exchanges, it’s possible to keep your SOL in a hot wallet on the exchange. You can also move your coins off the exchange into a cold crypto wallet, which is typically the most secure option.
Solana Price History
Even though solana was first conceived in 2017, the coin wasn’t released until 2020. It first hit the market with a price of around 78 cents, and the price of SOL remained below $2 for most of 2020, though it briefly reached a high above $4 in August 2020.
The price of solana skyrocketed in 2021. It went from almost $2 at the beginning of 2021 to nearly $56 by May. In early November 2021, the price of solana peaked at almost $260. That run-up sparked a lot of interest in solana. One of the main reasons solana saw such a big bump in price, according to both Roykhman, is because NFTs became also very popular in 2021. Solana offered a chance for those interested in NFTs to buy them at much lower prices and with lower fees.
“Solana saw a big rally in price, growing from less than $2 to peaking above $250 in 2021. In some ways, the way solana grew, it sacrificed security for a big splash and to see a price gain” says Yoni Medhin, founder of Grain4Grain and a member of the advisory board for crypto investing firm Energy Funders, referring to solana’s network outages. “But now it’s fallen to close to $30.”
Solana has fallen more than 50% since reaching its all-time high in November 2021 as investors have moved away from risky investments amid broader macroeconomic uncertainty. By June 2022, the price of SOL was just above $30.
Solana vs. Ethereum
Ethereum and solana are similar in that they’re both designed for smart contracts. They are used by developers and others to build decentralized apps in the blockchain space, as well as for gaming and NFTs. But there are a few key differences between the two: Solana relies on proof-of-history, while ethereum uses proof-of-work (PoW) to validate and verify transactions.
Ethereum is slated to become faster, cheaper, and more sustainable when it goes through its massive upgrade later this year and transitions to proof-of-stake (PoS). Experts are waiting to see how investors and companies building their tech on ethereum’s platform respond to the changes and how it’ll affect ethereum’s competitors.
Roykhman points out that ethereum is older and more established and has a more diverse ecosystem for decentralized finance (DeFi) apps, but solana has a robust gaming community. Solana has been trying to attract developers by offering bounties to those who identify bugs and promote its gaming functions.
Medhin says that one of the main issues with solana or any other “ethereum killer” is the fact that the project relies on branding itself relative to the ethereum platform.
“It’s kind of pie in the sky to want to be an ethereum killer,” Medhin says. “It’s kind of futile. You have to build momentum in the market and you need time and a huge user base to build it up.”
Solana’s proof-of-history approach has given it an edge in the ability to process transactions quickly and cheaply, but it’s unreliability as a network raises questions. Roykhman says solana will likely continue to hold some share of the market, but might not achieve its full potential if it can’t minimize its outages when the network becomes overwhelmed.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is solana worth?
Solana has ranged drastically in price, from 78 cents to almost $260. But that’s just par for the course — prices for cryptocurrencies are volatile and change frequently.
How high can solana’s price go?
Solana’s high was almost $260 in 2021. However, it has fallen dramatically from that price since. Whether solana go back up depends on its long-term viability, as well as general market conditions.
Does solana coin have a future?
Whether solana has a future depends on whether it can prove its long-term ability to solve a problem and remain stable. Some experts believe solana needs to become a more reliable network, with fewer outages, if it expects to truly become an ethereum killer.
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Today, Tulip Protocol made the announcement that they have integrated Chainlink Price Feeds in order to better secure their yield aggregating platform that is running on the Solana mainnet. The team had previously stated their intention to integrate Chainlink Price Feeds, and at this point, the connection has been completely put into action. Chainlink is the premier decentralized oracle network in the world, safeguarding tens of billions of dollars in smart contracts. It has diversified its offerings across other blockchains, notably Solana, Fantom, Polygon, BNB Chain, and others.
In a recent blog post, the team behind the Tulip Protocol explained that they had integrated Chainlink to provide users with more confidence that leveraged positions will be liquidated equitably using extremely accurate price data and that the protocol will continue to be completely collateralized at all times.
According to Tomasz Wojewoda, Head of Global Sales at Chainlink Labs:
“We’re pleased that Tulip Protocol has integrated Chainlink Price Feeds on Solana, helping secure its yield aggregation protocol with highly robust, decentralized market data. With the high-throughput performance of Solana and the strong security guarantees of the Chainlink Network, Tulip Protocol is able to empower users with a performant and secure platform.”
Tulip Protocol Seeks To Take Advantage Of Solana
Tulip Protocol brings together lenders who receive a return on their deposits and borrowers who are interested in gaining access to leverage. Users who initiate leverage positions are responsible for maintaining a loan-to-value (LTV) ratio that has been previously established. The Tulip Protocol then uses the asset price data that is provided by Chainlink Price Feeds to verify that this ratio is accurate. If the value of the collateral falls below the threshold that was established by the protocol, then their position will be immediately liquidated to assist in guaranteeing that the lenders will be repaid.
Tulip Protocol intends to capitalize on Solana by giving users the ability to more regularly reinvest their income and grow their assets without having to pay exorbitant amounts of gas expenses. Chainlink oracles can now be natively integrated on Solana, making it possible for Solana-based applications to benefit from enhanced levels of security and transparency. Yesterday, OpenOcean made the announcement that they would be integrating Chainlink Price Feeds in order to help secure the limited order functionality on many chains. These chains include Avalanche, Ethereum, Polygon, Fantom, and BNB Chain.
According to Senx, Co-Founder of Tulip Protocol:
“We’re excited to be using Chainlink Price Feeds on Solana to help secure our yield aggregation platform. By leveraging the most secure and reliable on-chain data available, we’re able to provide our lenders and borrowers with greater assurances that liquidations are based on accurate price data, and the protocol will maintain a healthy loan-to-value ratio through all market conditions.”
Allowing Stakers To Benefit From Higher APYs
Natives of the blockchain as well as newcomers to the technology are beginning to understand that decentralization does not necessarily equate to a secure platform. Given that Web3 services are currently disclosing their susceptibilities to attacks from both within and outside the network, further initiatives should be undertaken to improve the safety of user assets. Fortunately, a growing number of blockchain businesses are beginning to add various levels of security to their services in order to solidify the trust of their existing customers and attract additional investors in the near and distant future.
Tulip Protocol is the very first yield aggregation platform to be built on Solana, and it features auto-compounding vault techniques. The dApp was developed to make use of Solana’s blockchain, which has a low cost and high efficiency, hence enabling the vault techniques to compound frequently. Stakeholders are able to reap the benefits of greater APYs as a result, without the need for active management.
On this week’s episode of “The Market Report,” Cointelegraph’s resident experts discuss the latest updates concerning the recent Solana (SOL) hack.
To kick things off, we broke down the latest news in the markets this week:
Bitcoin realized price bands form key resistance as bulls lose $24K, significant whale activity between $22,000 and $24,800 adds to the complexity of the current spot market setup. Bitcoin (BTC) consolidated lower on Aug. 9 after familiar resistance preserved a multi-month trading range. When will we finally break out of this price range and make the move towards $30K?
Institutions flocking to Ethereum for 7 straight weeks as Merge nears: Report, “Greater clarity” around the Merge has driven institutional inflows into Ethereum products, according to a CoinShares report. Is the ETH merge finally around the corner and will it bring new all time highs to ETH or has the price already been factored into the current price?
Circle freezes blacklisted Tornado Cash smart contract addresses, Crypto data aggregator Dune Analytics said that, on Monday, Circle, the issuer of the USD Coin (USDC) stablecoin, froze over 75,000 USDC worth of funds linked to the 44 Tornado Cash addresses sanctioned by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control’s Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) list. Could this mark the end for Tornado Cash or is there a way they can redeem themselves?
Next up is a new segment called “Quick Crypto Tips,” which aims to give newcomers to the crypto industry quick and easy tips to get the most out of their experience. This week’s tip: Have some funds ready to buy further downturns.
Market expert Marcel Pechman then carefully examines the Bitcoin and Ether (ETH) markets. Are the current market conditions bullish or bearish? What is the outlook for the next few months? Pechman is here to break it down. The experts also go over some markets news to bring you up to date on the latest regarding the top two cryptocurrencies.
After Marcel’s market analysis, our resident experts discuss whether your SOL is safe and the latest updates on the Solana hack. We also discuss why the network has been victim to so many hacks and downtimes. What exactly do these exploits mean for the Solana platform and if you should be worried.
Lastly, we’ve got insights from Cointelegraph Markets Pro, a platform for crypto traders who want to stay one step ahead of the market. The analysts use Cointelegraph Markets Pro to identify two altcoins that stood out this week: Radicle’s RAD and DigiByte’s DGB.
Do you have a question about a coin or topic not covered here? Don’t worry. Join the YouTube chat room, and write your questions there. The person with the most interesting comment or question will be given a 1 month free subscription to markets Pro worth $100!
The Market Report streams live every Tuesday at 12:00 pm ET (4:00 pm UTC), so be sure to head on over to Cointelegraph’s YouTube page and smash those like and subscribe buttons for all our future videos and updates.
Singapore, Singapore , Aug. 09, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, the ZepetoX team (ZTX, ZepetoX.io) announced its foray into the web3 space, sharing its vision to build an open world that empowers creators and communities to build, play and earn.
ZepetoX is the crypto metaverse initiative jointly incubated by ZEPETO – Asia’s largest metaverse platform with over 320 million registered users – alongside leading global blockchain organizations including Jump Crypto.
As the sole blockchain project comprehensively backed by ZEPETO, ZepetoX will have exclusive ties to ZEPETO in terms of IP including technological, design, and content assets as well as bridges to facilitate user onboarding between the two platforms. ZepetoX’s blockchain development efforts will be advised by Jump.
“ZepetoX is our official venture into the blockchain industry. We feel that web3 opportunities should be advanced through a crypto-native approach, which is why we are excited to have Jump as a contributor to developing a new platform that would have exclusive connections to ZEPETO. Overall, we believe that ZepetoX can build the ideal web3 platform to not only bring blockchain to our existing users but also to expand our footprint in the blockchain space through various disruptive initiatives,” said Daewook Kim, CEO of Naver Z – the operating entity of ZEPETO.
“We are excited to support ZepetoX’s efforts aimed at onboarding new audiences into the rapidly growing crypto space. ZEPETO’s expertise and technological know-hows accumulated over the past years from building an immersive social platform will serve as a springboard for ZepetoX,” said Saurabh Sharma, Partner at Jump Crypto.
Building on the Solana network, ZepetoX will offer a web-based 3D open world with varying levels of gamification integrated as well as opportunities for users to monetize via ownership of digital assets and social interaction. Ultimately, ZepetoX aims to empower self-expression through customizable avatars and lands that can be equipped with NFTs from a rich collection of assets created by diverse creators, DAOs, or communities.
“I am thrilled to see IP powerhouses like ZepetoX choosing to build their metaverse on Solana,” said Anatoly Yakovenko, Co-Founder of Solana. “Projects like ZepetoX create new pathways for onboarding millions of users to web3.”
“Our global team brings a depth of crypto native experiences and our goal is to build on the foundation of ZEPETO to spearhead the adoption of blockchain among metaverse users, developers, and creators,” said co-CEO of ZepetoX, Chris Chang.
In the coming months, ZepetoX will launch its first land sale. The lands will be tradable on the ZepetoX marketplace, which will feature a variety of different NFTs as the open world project evolves. Further details on the sale will be available on the ZepetoX website in the coming weeks.
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About ZepetoX: ZepetoX (ZTX) is a web3 company building an immersive content-driven platform for users to create, trade digital assets and enjoy social interaction. Founded in 2022, ZepetoX is the blockchain initiative of ZEPETO, widely regarded as the largest Asia-based metaverse platform boasting over 320 million lifetime users with over 2.5 billion virtual fashion items sold.
