Vitalik Buterin Transfers 2.09 Million STRK Tokens to Binance, Market Responds With 7% Price Surge

Ethereum's (ETH) co-founder Vitalik Buterin recently transferred 2.09 million Starknet (STRK) tokens, worth $799,000, to Binance.

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After transferring 2.09 million Starknet (STRK) tokens to Binance, Ethereum (ETH) co-founder Vitalik Buterin appears to have lost more than half of his initial investment in the Layer-2 scaling solution.

According toon-chain data from aDune Analytics dashboard, Buterin’s STRK tokens were initially valued at around $1.51 million when they were transferred to Binance on May 12, 2023. However, due to a decline in the token’s price, the remaining tokens are now valued at roughly $714,000 at current market rates.

The large deposit has sparked speculation within the crypto community regarding the intended use of the funds and its potential impact on the STRK token market and StarkNet.

Following Buterin’s transaction, Starknet’s market performance appears to have shifted positively, piquing investor interest in the Layer-2 token.

Over the past day, the STRK token price experienced a surge of 7.02%, reaching $0.3775 with a return in investor sentiment. This price increase also led to a rise in STRK’s market cap by 7.03% to reach $792.57 million, while trading volume surged by 90.20% to reach $75.89 million, indicating strong buying pressure and demand for STRK.

The liquidity level for STRK also remained strong, with the token’s Fully Diluted Valuation (FDV) increasing to $3.78 billion and a volume-to-market cap of 9.42%. This indicates that Starknet has ample trading volume and market activity, highlighting its liquidity as retail and institutional investors take notice.

Some analysts have also highlighted Buterin’s decision to offload a significant STRK stake, which may have garnered attention from the crypto community, with some speculating on a concise outlook for STRK in the near term.

Technical indicators for STRK on 24-hourの時間枠 show a bullish trend, with the token trading up by 9.16% at $0.3790.

The Relative Strength Index (RSI) for STRK is positioned at 46.52, indicating a value just below the neutral 50 mark on the RSI scale, suggesting that STRK remains poised outside of overbought conditions. However, the RSI Moving Average at 52.17 still signifies some residual downward pressure from previous market dynamics, leaving room for additional gains if RSI trends higher.

The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) indicator reveals minor positive divergence, with the MACD line at -0.0045, close to the signal line at -0.0049. Although small, this divergence hints at possible upward momentum for STRK if further buying occurs. Should a MACD crossover or larger histogram values materialize, it would signal a more robust bullish trend, supporting continued price gains.

The Chaikin Money Flow (CMF) indicator, currently at 0.10, suggests a positive capital inflow into STRK, indicating sustained buying interest in the token. This positive CMF reading implies that STRK could maintain its bullish trajectory if buying pressure persists, providing potential support for additional price movement.

STRK’s liquidation map shows high activity around its current price of $0.381, particularly in leveraged trading zones. Notably, cumulative long liquidations diminish as the price increases, especially between the $0.345 to $0.374 range, while short liquidations accumulate above $0.385. This leverage concentration suggests traders are positioning themselves for potential volatility, with heightened liquidation risks if STRK’s price shifts sharply.

Open Interest (OI)-Weighted Funding Rate data indicates fluctuating funding rates in recent months, reflecting changing sentiment toward Starknet. Negative funding rates in July and August highlighted a period where short positions dominated, while more recent positive rates since mid-September show a tilt toward long positions. The steady increase in favorable funding rates reflects renewed bullish sentiment, aligning with STRK’s gradual price recovery and positive trading momentum.