DUSK outshines DASH and ZEC with a 583% rally | Credit: Veronica Cestari
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Key Takeaways
DUSK’s price led the privacy-coin rotation, up 583% in 30 days.
It broke the downtrend, with indicators confirming bullish momentum.
Analysis indicates a potential jump to $0.50 once the conditions are met.
DUSK, the native cryptocurrency of the permissionless layer-1 blockchain Dusk Network, has emerged as a clear leader in the latest privacy-coin rotation.
Over the past 30 days, DUSK’s market value has surged about 583%, pushing the price to around $0.30, its highest level since Jan. 25.
The weekend move also saw DUSK outperform peers like Dash (DASH) and Zcash (ZEC).
So why is DUSK’s price leading, and can DUSK climb higher from here?
DUSK Breaches Year-Long Downtrend
Looking at the weekly chart, CCN observed that DUSK’s price rallied after breaking out of a falling wedge.
As seen below, the altcoin had formed lower highs and lows since December 2024. But things changed as the Money Flow Index (MFI) climbed higher.
The rise in the MFI indicates increasing buying pressure. This played a crucial role as DUSK broke the $0.25 resistance while bulls defended the $0.15 support.
But that’s not all. As seen below, the Awesome Oscillator (AO) reading has turned positive for the first time since July 2024.
This position indicates rising bullish momentum for the cryptocurrency. If sustained, this could drive DUSK’s price much higher in the short term.
Apart from the technical setup, the vertical price action is the result of years of development finally meeting a favorable regulatory environment in Europe.
Fundamentally, here are other reasons DUSK price has outperformed the other privacy cryptos:
The Mainnet Launch (Jan 7, 2026): After six years of building, the Dusk mainnet officially went live one year ago. This moved the project from “theory” to a functional Layer 1 producing blocks with instant finality.
The DuskEVM Reveal: The team recently announced DuskEVM, a solution compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine. This allows Ethereum developers to easily migrate dApps to Dusk to leverage its native, auditable privacy features.
The “Auditable Privacy” Breakthrough: CTO Hein Dauven recently clarified that while DUSK transfers are private by default, the protocol includes selective disclosure. Recipients can cryptographically prove payment sources, making the chain fully compliant with EU Travel Regulations and MiCA.
“Private by default, accountable when required. $DUSK shielded transfers hide sender/amount from the public, while the receiver can still verify (and cryptographically prove!) who paid them. That missing piece makes privacy on Dusk much more travel‑rule‑friendly and compliant,” Dauevn stated on Jan. 17
Real-World Asset (RWA) Integration: DUSK is now hosting tokenized securities in collaboration with the Dutch exchange NPEX. With over €300 million in assets planned for tokenization, the network is moving beyond speculation into institutional utility.
History Predicts “Higher” Value
From an on-chain perspective, Glassnode data shows the rally has pushed DUSK to its realized price.
Realized price reflects the average cost basis of the circulating supply. So, when market price trades below it, the typical holder sits underwater, and rallies often face selling from investors trying to break even.
However, when the price flips above the realized price, the tone usually changes. More holders move into profit, sell pressure often eases, and the market can shift from distribution to trend continuation.
That is why this level matters for DUSK right now. Historically, when DUSK has realized a reclaimed price, follow-through has tended to improve.
In prior cycles, similar flips preceded strong rallies, including a run toward $0.44 in 2021, a push to $0.95 in 2022, and another move to around $0.62 in 2024.
Therefore, if DUSK breaks above the realized price and holds it, the move would also send a strong signal to sidelined buyers.
Considering the hype around privacy coins, DUSK’s price might do better and close in on $1 this time once it surpasses its realized price.
Interestingly, this current setup aligns with Ray Youssef’s opinion as CEO of the crypto super app NoOnes.
According to Youssef, market participants appear to be selectively allocating their exposure to risk assets, with privacy coins at the top.
“Monero’s rebound after a sharp pullback, along with Dash and Dusk’s recent gains, likely suggests that investors are selectively allocating capital. Given the ongoing impasse over stablecoin rewards in the U.S. market structure bill and renewed trade escalations, some market participants are anticipating continued volatility and are seeking assets that can decouple from broader market weakness and demonstrate strong performance during periods of macro stress,” Youssef told CCN.
Besides that, he added that mass freezing of stablecoins may have played a massive role in the capital flow. If sustained, the prices of several privacy coins, including DUSK, could rise soon.
DUSK Shorts Could Be in More Trouble
To support this move, DUSK’s funding rate has remained profoundly negative.
That matters because negative funding costs mean short sellers are paying a premium to hold their positions, even as the price rises.
This setup often favors continuation. When the market leans heavily short and the price refuses to fall, those positions become vulnerable.
As such, any sustained upside can force shorts to cover, adding buy pressure and accelerating the rally through liquidations.
At the same time, persistently negative funding shows skepticism remains high. That reduces the risk of immediate euphoria and suggests the rally will continue to extend.
Therefore, as long as DUSK’s price holds key support, the short-heavy positioning can act as fuel rather than resistance.
DUSK Price Prediction: 70% Extra Gains?
Looking at the daily chart, DUSK’s rally still looks strong. At the time of writing, the token has broken above the upper trendline of a symmetrical triangle, which usually signals expansion rather than exhaustion.
Flow and trend indicators back that move. The Chaikin Money Flow (CMF) has pushed back above the zero line after a brief dip, indicating capital is rotating back in.
At the same time, the Supertrend has flipped bullish, with the green line now sitting below price and acting as dynamic support.
In a more aggressive bullish scenario, especially if the privacy narrative stays hot and volume remains elevated, the move could stretch further and bring the $1 zone into view.
However, the risk is momentum exhaustion. If the rally overheats and selling pressure increases, the breakout could stall.
In that case, DUSK may pull back and retest support near the $0.21 area before attempting another leg higher.
In conclusion, the NoOnes noted that DUSK, alongside several other privacy assets, might sustain the bullish trend. In particular, he mentioned specific targets the cryptos might hit in the short term.
“With over 540% growth in the past 30 days, it remains to be seen whether Dusk can sustain this momentum and become a key contributor to the privacy sector, similar to ZCash, XMR, and Dash. If privacy coins’ strength endures, we could see XMR at $650, Dash at $90, and Dusk at $0.28 in the coming days,” Youssef emphasized during our discussion.
Victor Olanrewaju is a crypto analyst and reporter at CCN with deep roots in on-chain research and technical analysis. His crypto journey began in 2017, but it was the 2020 Uniswap airdrop that sparked a full-time pivot into the space.
With a foundation in copywriting, Victor honed his craft creating high-converting content for leading crypto brokers — most notably an XRP price prediction that ranked #1 on Google during the 2021 bull run.
He later joined AMBCrypto in 2022, where he combined storytelling with technical and on-chain analysis to cover key market narratives.
In 2024, he expanded his expertise at BeInCrypto, collaborating with analysts and using tools like Glassnode, Santiment, and IntoTheBlock to break down Bitcoin and altcoin trends.
At CCN, Victor covers the top cryptocurrencies, memecoins, macro shifts, blending real-time insights with deep-dive metrics.
He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Physics from the University of Ibadan, equipping him to simplify complex data for a wide audience. Follow his work or connect on LinkedIn or X.
