Stellar Surges 14% Before Sharp Reversal as Network Upgrade Fuels Volatility

Stellar Lumens (XLM) surged over a 24-hour period into Wednesday, reaching a high of $0.293 before closing at $0.2896, driven by institutional accumulation and renewed confidence in the network’s underlying architecture.

The price action followed a significant update to Stellar’s core software, adding to momentum in a high-volume environment.

On July 7, the Stellar Development Foundation published the v23.0.0rc2 release candidate for Stellar Core, marking the protocol’s next step toward broader network upgrades and ecosystem scalability. The release includes important refinements ahead of the full v23.0.0 roll-out, reinforcing trust in Stellar’s infrastructure among both developers and institutional participants.

Technically, XLM gained strength throughout the 24-hour window ending July 9 at 14:00 UTC. The rally intensified between 11:00 and 13:00 UTC, with volume spiking to 163.4M and 405.9M, more than 7x the daily average of 54.7M. Key resistance levels at $0.270 and $0.278 were decisively cleared, with new support forming at those levels, according to CoinDesk Research's technical analysis data.

The momentum subsequently faded somewhat, with XLM declining 2.05% from $0.293 to $0.287, triggered by a breakdown below $0.291. This sharp drop initiated cascading sell-offs, likely driven by short-term trading systems, and formed new resistance near $0.294, the model showed.

While the late-session pullback highlights near-term volatility, the broader structure remains bullish. With development progress accelerating and support holding above $0.278, XLM remains technically positioned for another test of the $0.294–$0.30 zone, according to the model's data.

Technical Analysis Highlights

• Price range: $0.252 to $0.293 - a 14.3% intraday gain before falling to $0.2896.
• Volume surge: Peaks at 405.9M, nearly 7.5x the 24-hour average of 54.7M.
• Resistance breakouts: $0.270 and $0.278 flipped to support on strong volume.
• Retracement of 2.05% from $0.293 to $0.287 after $0.291 was breached.
• New resistance: Formed near $0.294 following selling pressure.
• Development driver: Release of Stellar Core v23.0.0rc2 enhances sentiment around protocol maturity and upgrade readiness.

Disclaimer: Parts of this article were generated with the assistance from AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and adherence to our standards. For more information, see CoinDesk's full AI Policy.