TLDR Solana (SOL) price tests critical $144-$150 support zone as macro bullish pattern remains intact despite short-term weakness Heavy short positions stacked around $150 create resistance wall that caps upside attempts On-chain data reveals concerning demand gap below $144 that could trigger deeper downside Upcoming Firedancer and Alpenglow network upgrades aim to boost speed and reduce latency Upexi announces $50 million share buyback program signaling institutional confidence Solana price sits at a pivotal junction where macro strength collides with short-term selling pressure. The $144 to $150 region has emerged as the battlefield where bulls and bears are locked in combat. The cryptocurrency trades near $140 after falling 26% over the past 30 days. This decline puts SOL at one-year lows despite maintaining a broader bullish structure on longer timeframes. A rounded-base formation continues developing on the macro chart beneath long-standing resistance. Price has repeatedly tested the same supply zone, creating compression that typically precedes major breakouts. Jesse Peralta’s technical analysis shows the consolidation stretching under the ceiling. The longer this pattern extends, the more energy builds for the next impulsive move higher. Technical Structure Points to Decision Time Short-term charts leave room for additional dips. Structure has pulled back from upper resistance lines, and a retest of rising trendlines or mid-range levels could unfold before any macro continuation. Liquidity data reveals heavy short positioning stacked around the $150 zone. These positions create a wall that continues to cap upside attempts while SOL grinds just below this block. Visible liquidity clusters wait to be taken if buyers manage to push through. These pockets often act as magnets, setting up high-probability reclaims if momentum returns. Below current price levels, liquidity thins quickly. Only light absorption zones remain, suggesting most of the battle lies above rather than below current levels. A clean sweep of the $150 level could force short closures. This would accelerate price back towards previous ranges, but until then, Solana remains pinned under crucial short-term resistance. On-Chain Metrics Flash Warning Signals Ali Martinez’s on-chain realized distribution data exposes a concerning gap beneath $144. Very little historical demand sits in this zone, creating vulnerability for further downside. If price loses this level decisively, the chart opens into a low-volume zone stretching far lower. The next meaningful concentration of buyers doesn’t appear until much deeper levels. This makes the $144 to $150 region more critical than initially appears. Strong inflow periods earlier in the cycle still support the idea that Solana has retained committed holders above key levels. The on-chain void cannot be ignored. Defending current support becomes absolutely necessary to avoid a momentum vacuum to the downside. Corrective wave structure continues with lower highs and steady rejections confirming downward bias. The push towards mid-$130s keeps the chart vulnerable while price struggles to reclaim overhead resistance. The $160 to $177 range has repeatedly shut down bullish attempts. This ceiling remains the line that must break to neutralize the current downtrend. Downside targets remain open with a grind towards the $95 zone possible if selling pressure persists. Support tests continue to weaken, and until the trendline breaks upward, rallies face heavy supply. Network Upgrades Offer Potential Catalysts The Solana network has multiple upgrades approaching that could provide price catalysts. Firedancer and Alpenglow updates promise higher speeds, more transactions per block, and near-instant consensus. Firedancer is a validator client developed by Jump Crypto’s team. The goal is boosting existing infrastructure through third-party client code currently in advanced testing and limited mainnet use. The Firedancer validator aims to make Solana run on diverse validator clients. This reduces risk of failures and network outages that have plagued the blockchain previously. Alpenglow protocol was first announced in May 2025. It redesigns Solana’s approach to coordinating validators through Votor, a lightweight voting protocol. The mechanism finalizes blocks using single or dual-run voting processes. This reduces latency to milliseconds while eliminating gossip between validators. Institutional confidence remains despite price weakness. Upexi, which previously allocated $300 million into Solana, unveiled a $50 million share buyback program Thursday. The company’s Board of Directors authorized the repurchase program to be executed at management’s discretion. Allan Marshall, company head, stated the program represents an additional tool to enhance shareholder value. By reducing shares in circulation, Upexi effectively increases the amount of SOL tokens each share represents. This should result in higher returns if Solana recovers as expected.
https://blockonomi.com/solana-sol-price-critical-support-test-at-144-as-network-upgrades-approach/
