BNB Surges Past $700, Hits New All-Time High
Can the rally last with Binance in turmoil?
BNB, the native token of BNB Chain, has recently reached an all-time high of $723 on June 6 before correcting to $705. This impressive rally has seen BNB gain 19% in the first six days of June, outpacing the overall crypto market's 4.2% increase. This surge has left traders questioning the sustainability of this bullish momentum.
The timing of BNB's rally is surprising given that Binance's founder and former CEO, Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, began serving a four-month sentence for money laundering charges on June 1. Despite CZ's incarceration, which limits his involvement in Binance's operations, BNB's market capitalization soared to $108 billion, a 37% premium over its competitor Solana.
BNB Chain's semi-centralized structure enables lower transaction fees, making it challenging to compare its activity directly with Ethereum, the leader in decentralized applications (DApps). Although BNB Chain shows strength in DApps volume, with a 23% increase over the past week, its $6 billion volume still pales compared to Ethereum’s $40.5 billion.
Analysts have suggested that BNB's rally may be driven by excessive leverage from buyers using derivatives. However, data shows that the funding rate for BNB futures has remained below 0.03% over the past six days, indicating a balanced leverage demand similar to that of Bitcoin and lower than Solana.
While BNB’s current on-chain and derivatives data do not signal any immediate risks, they also do not support further price gains. The uncertainty surrounding Binance's future, with CZ in custody, adds to the skepticism about the sustainability of BNB's recent rally. As traders watch closely, the question remains whether BNB can maintain its momentum or if a correction is imminent.