Midnight – Is NIGHT’s pullback just a pause amid 12% OI drop?

Midnight [NIGHT], the zero-knowledge-based privacy blockchain, is seeing a shift in market sentiment.

Trading volume fell sharply over the past 24 hours, dropping 50% to $3.97 billion, at press time. This suggests investors are pulling capital, though the trend reflects rotation rather than a complete exit, as the overall investor base continues to grow.

AMBCrypto previously reported that investor numbers declined from a lifetime high of 6,880 to 6,210. The latest data shows the count slipped further to 6,110 on the 20th of December before rebounding to 6,500.

During the same period, NIGHT’s market capitalization rose by $430 million. Still, it stood at $1.52 billion, down from $1.94 billion earlier in the day, highlighting a short‑term bias toward sellers. 

This shift sets the stage for a deeper analysis of what may unfold next.

Derivatives drive short-term pressure

Earlier signals from the derivatives market already suggested that NIGHT was entering a bearish phase, as liquidity continued to exit the market.

At press time, derivatives data indicated investors were pulling capital. Open Interest (OI) fell 12%, with $12.7 million exiting the market. As a result, OI declined to about $106 million.

Source: CoinGlass 

This capital withdrawal alone does not confirm a bearish phase unless it is paired with Funding Rate data, which offers clearer directional insight.

The Open Interest–Weighted Funding Rate, which combines both metrics, turned negative during this period. This shift typically indicates that short positions outnumber long contracts in the market.

Investors accumulate regardless

Selling pressure appears largely limited to perpetual traders positioning for NIGHT’s downside.

In contrast, spot market participants remain firmly bullish, with capital continuing to flow into the asset.

In the early hours of the 23rd of December, investors spent $3.24 million buying NIGHT, while total spot purchases over the past five days reached $301 million.

This level of spot accumulation reflects strong long-term conviction and, from a technical perspective, suggests a tightening supply of NIGHT tokens in circulation.

This dynamic has already played out in real time when comparing accumulation patterns with price reactions over a one-week timeframe.

Source: CoinGlass

Data shows that weekly buying activity previously drove a 67% price rally, a notable gain, especially as broader market sentiment remains weighed down by bearish conditions.

Meanwhile, the Accumulation/Distribution (A/D) indicator shows only a minor retracement, with the metric barely tilting lower.

At press time, the A/D indicator confirmed ongoing accumulation. Total volume stood at 357 million and remained firmly positive, reinforcing the spot‑buy thesis.

Given the dominance of derivatives positioning, AMBCrypto also analyzed the liquidation heatmap to assess potential price direction.

Bullish move still in play

The liquidation heatmap points to a largely bullish outcome for NIGHT, with limited downside risk.

Data shows liquidity clusters positioned above the current price, highlighted by colored levels. Historically, such clusters act as price magnets and often attract upward price movement.

With no significant liquidity cluster below the current price, NIGHT has a higher probability of trending upward toward these overhead levels.

Source: CoinGlass

Overall, this aligns with the strong accumulation observed in the spot market.

The recent pullback appears to be a temporary retracement rather than a trend reversal, setting the stage for a broader upward move if sentiment remains unchanged.

Final Thoughts

• NIGHT records a $10 million outflow in the derivatives market as short contracts rise against price.
• A $46 million spot-market buy and broader market accumulation continue to support the bullish case for the asset.