Can NEAR Regain its Lead Over Stellar After a Nearly 97% Monthly Rally?
NEAR Protocol (NEAR) fell 7.79% to $4.82, losing its market cap lead over Stellar (XLM). NEAR needs an 8.5% increase to regain the lead, but Stellar's price changes will affect this. NEAR's 24-hour trading volume reached $1.55B, up 20.1%. Bitwise's NEAR ETF (NRR) began trading on NYSE Arca on September 29. NEAR's monthly gain is nearly 97% despite the daily decline.
How this was made

The 30-second read
Why it matters
Short‑term price pressure on NEAR with limited broader market effect; XLM remains relatively stable.
Market read
Primarily of interest to crypto traders monitoring token‑to‑token market‑cap rankings.
What to watch
Potential upcoming protocol upgrades or ecosystem news not covered could reverse the short‑term trend.
Background
The piece analyzes recent price dynamics between NEAR Protocol and Stellar, noting NEAR's loss of market‑cap lead after a 97% monthly rally.
Ticker impact
NEAR Protocol fell 7.79% to $4.82, losing its market‑cap lead over Stellar after a strong monthly rally.
likely downward pressure as traders react to the 7.8% decline
The article reports a fresh intraday decline without new catalyst, suggesting momentum‑driven sell‑off.
Stellar (XLM) held its market‑cap lead, trading near $0.1945 with a 2.8% daily loss.
potential modest pressure as market‑cap gap narrows
XLM is only mentioned as a comparative benchmark; no direct catalyst beyond NEAR’s move.
Market effects
Crypto sector shows continued volatility; no broader sector shift.
Global crypto markets may mirror the price move, but impact limited.
Low; article focuses on two tokens without macro implications.
Counterpoint
Despite the drop, NEAR's strong monthly gain could attract contrarian buyers.
Key entities
- cryptocurrencyNEAR Protocol
Layer‑1 blockchain token.
- cryptocurrencyStellar (XLM)
Cross‑border payments network token.



