Analyst Says Cardano ATH Never a Guarantee as Price Hits 2021 Break Even

Cardano has kicked off the second week of April under heavy scrutiny as its price trajectory circles back to levels seen over four years ago. 

The digital asset, which opened the week trading above $0.65, experienced a sharp decline, touching a low of just under $0.52 on April 7. 

Although a slight rebound followed on April 8, briefly pushing the price to around $0.61, the recovery proved to be weak and unsustainable. By April 9, Cardano’s price had settled near $0.5694, with a 24-hour drop of 2.6%, a 7-day decrease of 15.4%, and a 14-day slump totaling 25.9%.

ADA’s Return to 2021 Levels 

As the market absorbed the latest price pullback, analyst Jesse Olson shared a chart on X, outlining Cardano’s long-term stagnation. His analysis revealed that the asset has returned to February 2021 price levels, exactly 1,519 days later. 

Brutal, #Cardano holders never got to see a new ATH.

1,519 days later and you can buy the same price as it was February 2021.

Never a guarantee. pic.twitter.com/8ByGiibC6k

— Jesse Olson (@JesseOlson) April 9, 2025

During this time, ADA saw major surges and sharp corrections. Notably, despite a brief rally in late 2023, the token has yet to set a new all-time high in the current market cycle. Olson’s visual narrative highlighted that ADA’s current price — between $0.55 and $0.60 — mirrors its February 2021 valuation.

This timeline, extending over four years, shows that long-term holders from that point would effectively be at break-even today. The analysis also stressed that previous gains do not guarantee future returns, challenging the assumption that holding through multiple cycles ensures profitability.

Bullish Projections Surface Amid Bearish Sentiment

Meanwhile, crypto commentator Alex Becker presented a contrasting outlook. In a recent YouTube video, he identified Cardano as one of eight tokens poised for significant growth by 2026.

Despite past criticism of the project, Becker labeled ADA as highly bullish at current prices. He cited its decentralization, transaction speed, and increasing network activity as factors contributing to what he called a possible surge to $5 — above its all-time high of $3.09.

Additionally, he pointed to new institutional interest, including ETF-related filings and ADA’s inclusion in a U.S. crypto reserve, as emerging catalysts.

According to Becker, these developments, combined with positive social sentiment data around the Cardano ecosystem, could ignite a sustained price rally. He emphasized that current levels present what he views as discounted entry points based on historical price performance.

Technical Pattern Suggests Potential Upside

In a separate analysis on TradingView, another market expert charted Cardano’s multi-year performance within a weekly ascending channel. This pattern, historically associated with price rebounds, shows ADA oscillating between key trendlines. Notably, Cardano’s previous breakout from $0.20 to $2.70 in 2021 occurred within this same structure.

The analyst outlined possible resistance levels, identifying $2.7567 as the first hurdle if ADA breaks above the channel. Should the pattern persist, the model projects a potential long-term target of $50.4821.