3 reasons why the MANA and SAND metaverse token rally could end soon


The metaverse hype that started in 2021 dissolved nearly solely by the top of 2022 as the highest tasks within the house, Decentraland and The Sandbox, misplaced 95% of their market capitalization. Probably the most distinguished cause for the autumn was a lack of person progress. 

Nonetheless, the metaverse narrative is way from useless and can develop sooner or later. Reportedly, Apple will launch its digital actuality gear someday in spring 2023. The announcement was a optimistic catalyst for Decentraland’s MANA and The Sandbox’s SAND, inflicting a double-digit worth surge.

Whereas there’s proof of optimistic shopping for quantity supporting the pump, the weak fundamentals of metaverse platforms and overheated market indicators counsel that the value pump dangers reversing rapidly.

The Apple pump-and-dump

Fb’s (Meta) foray into the metaverse was some of the distinguished catalysts for metaverse tokens. The concept for Decentraland’s and The Sandbox’s progress is {that a} decentralized metaverse would flourish greater than Meta’s centralized model.

Nevertheless, the know-how has but to develop into well-liked among the many plenty. In 2022, the share of VR customers amongst Steam players was lower than 2%, and the utilization has but to develop over the previous two years. That is discouraging for the know-how’s adoption as a result of the gaming sector was the primary to embrace it.

The know-how suffers from a elementary problem the place VR headsets are unsuitable for lengthy hours. Research have discovered that extended utilization of headsets could cause psychological well being issues.

Apple’s current VR information precipitated an uptick in metaverse tokens, however it doesn’t essentially translate to the success of those tasks. Samsung and Oculus, owned by Meta, have already got gadgets available on the market, elevating the query concerning the potential influence of Apple’s new gadgets on VR adoption.

Poor utilization information hinders the fact of a sustained metaverse token rally

Arguably, metaverse euphoria peaked within the final quarter of the identical yr when Fb rebranded to Meta. Nevertheless, the utilization statistics of the 2 hottest metaverse platforms, The Sandbox and Decentraland, remained unimpressive all through the value surge. Fewer than 5,000 distinctive lively wallets (UAWs) have been interacting with the sensible contracts on the peak on each platforms.

The Sandbox distinctive pockets addresses interacting with a decentralized utility’s sensible contracts. Supply: DappRadar
Decentraland distinctive pockets addresses interacting with a decentralized utility’s sensible contracts. Supply: DappRadar

Since then, the usage has decreased even further, with fewer than 1,000 UAWs per day, reflecting terrible fundamentals.

Moreover, while the token prices have jumped, the nonfungible token sales for The Sandbox lands haven’t improved with similar prices and volume since the last quarter of 2022. It once again confirms that activity across the platform is uneventful.

Token dilution risks remain

Decentraland is also on the creditor list of Genesis, which filed for bankruptcy last week. According to the court filings, the defunct lending firm owes Decentraland $55 million.

Nevertheless, in line with Decentraland’s Discord, Genesis owes solely $7.8 million. A neighborhood spokesperson added, “The Treasury stays wholesome and the credit score quantity doesn’t characterize a considerable a part of the Basis’s treasury.”

The Genesis problem has been lengthy recognized; thus, it’s doable that the group might need dissolved the problem by now. Nevertheless, it would possible have an effect on the tempo of its ecosystem progress, which is small to start with.

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Alternatively, the SAND token suffers from the danger of dilution as a result of month-to-month unlocks till the top of Q3 2024. If market circumstances don’t enhance, some buyers could also be inclined to promote their portion of the tokens.

Regardless of its shortcomings, so long as there’s a risk that the know-how will develop into part of the long run, the market is frequently going to understand the primary movers within the house. The issue is long-term visions might not maintain short- to medium-term rallies.

MANA/USD each day worth chart. Supply: TradingView

The sudden spike after days of low volatility has precipitated the Relative Energy Index (RSI) metric to indicate overheated readings. The state of affairs has develop into more difficult, as the value has been buying and selling at resistance from the breakdown area of the FTX collapse.

Nansen information exhibits alternate inflows for MANA and SAND have been $8.4 million and $12.6 million, respectively. It means that extra buyers moved to promote than purchase right into a optimistic breakout.

However, the current uptick in MANA was supported by wholesome quantity, as reported by information from analytics agency Santiment, which is encouraging for consumers. However MANA/USD should take out the $0.735 resistance and help space for continued upside.

SAND/USD each day worth chart. Supply: TradingView

An analogous buying and selling set-up for SAND sees resistance for the token at round $0.93. If consumers conquer this stage for the metaverse tokens, we are able to count on the rally to proceed. Nevertheless, based mostly on fundamentals and short-term dangers, it stays unlikely that the value can break above the resistance.