ORCA, native to one of the top DEXs on Solana, posted a stunning 72% surge within a few hours. This happened after shorts were squeezed out of the market.
Sellers fled quickly. Yet buying pressure continued to rise as the ORCA crypto defied an expected downturn.
Consequently, bears are now in a vulnerable position. Here is what led to the price surge, and what lies ahead for the altcoin.
Based on CCN’s findings, many traders took short positions after ORCA was identified as one of the tokens affected in the Upbit hack.
The expectation was that panic and uncertainty would drive the price lower.
However, the market didn’t unfold the way short sellers anticipated.
As funding rates shifted into negative territory, it signaled that short positions were becoming more dominant. With this shift in sentiment, the ORCA price began climbing higher.
This reversal placed pressure on short positions, ultimately pushing the token upward instead of triggering the decline that traders expected.
By the look of things, it does not seem like the trend will change soon. This is because the short squeeze has forced sellers to keep buying and acting as late longs.
Beyond the funding rate, another critical indicator reinforces this trend — Open Interest (OI).
At press time, ORCA’s OI has surged to $22.7 million, marking its highest level since April.
Rising OI typically reflects growing trader participation and increased capital flowing into futures markets, which can amplify volatility and fuel price continuation in the prevailing direction.
With funding rates negative and OI hitting multi-month highs, market conditions point toward sustained upward pressure. Therefore, if this trend persists, ORCA’s price may rise above $2.
From a technical standpoint, the daily chart shows that ORCA has broken above the upper trendline of a falling wedge.
This breakout signals a shift in market structure, suggesting that downward momentum has weakened.
Supporting this bullish setup, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) has risen to 67.72, indicating strong upward momentum without yet entering extreme overbought territory.
At the same time, the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) has formed a clear bullish crossover.
Following this breakout, the ORCA crypto might rally toward the $1.96 wick high.
If buying pressure continues to build, the next primary upside target lies near $2.20, aligning with the –0.618 golden ratio.
However, a meaningful drop in buying pressure or a shift in sentiment could invalidate the bullish structure.
In that scenario, ORCA’s price may retreat toward $1.47, where the chart shows a significant support zone.
In a more severe bearish outcome, the price could extend its decline toward $1.09.