Solana Whale Moves 17K SOL—Is $153 Breakout Imminent?

Solana’s price hovers below a critical resistance level as a whale shifts 17,000 SOL—worth roughly $2.6 million at current prices. Market watchers are split: Is this a bullish accumulation play or just another rich trader playing hot potato with bags?

Technical charts show SOL has tested the $153 ceiling three times this month, each rebound sharper than the last. The whale’s move coincides with surging network activity—Solana’s DeFi TVL just hit a 90-day high while NFT traders flee Ethereum’s gas fees like bank customers dodging overdraft charges.

Can this injection of heavyweight conviction finally crack the resistance? Or will SOL get rejected again, leaving retail holders to mop up the liquidity? One thing’s certain: In crypto, whales don’t place bets—they rig the game.

Sentiment surge: Are retail and smart money aligned?

Solana’s sentiment has fluctuated recently, with a weighted sentiment reading of -0.47 on the 26th of April 2025. Despite this, crowd sentiment remained strong at 1.81, indicating ongoing Optimism among retail investors.

Meanwhile, smart money sentiment stood at 0.88, showing more caution among institutional players. This difference in sentiment highlights the contrasting views of retail and institutional investors.

Retail investors are optimistic about Solana’s future, while institutional players are more cautious due to the recent price dip. The mix of these sentiments may lead to short-term volatility, but the long-term outlook remains bullish.

Source: Santiment

Strong foundations: SOL’s development activity remains solid

Solana’s development activity remained robust, with a reading of 25.81 as of the 27th of April 2025. This steady level of development activity suggests that Solana’s network is in a strong position for long-term growth. 

Despite fluctuations in price, solid development progress is a fundamental driver of network adoption, making the blockchain more scalable and efficient.

Strong development activity helps boost investor confidence and signals that the team is actively working on improvements. 

Source: Santiment

Social buzz: Solana dominates the crypto conversation

Solana has seen a significant spike in Social Volume, reaching 216, at the time of writing, with Social Dominance at 8.3%. The increase in social media activity suggests that Solana is capturing the attention of the broader crypto community. 

Social Volume refers to the number of times Solana is mentioned across social platforms, while Social Dominance measures its prominence in comparison to other cryptocurrencies.

This uptick in social activity could signal a growing interest among retail investors, and it’s likely to affect short-term price action.

Source: Santiment

Technical price structure: SOL approaches key resistance at $153.65

At the time of writing, the coin was approaching a crucial resistance level at $153.65. Solana is forming a cup-and-handle pattern, which typically signals a potential breakout.

The MACD indicator showed a bullish divergence, with the MACD line above the signal line, further supporting the possibility of a breakout. If SOL manages to break through this resistance, the next target could be $180.

However, if Solana is rejected at this level, it may face a period of consolidation or a pullback. Traders are closely watching this resistance level, as breaking it could signal a strong bullish trend for Solana.

Source: TradingView

Solana’s market continues to be shaped by whale activity, fluctuating sentiment, and ongoing development. With Social Volume on the rise and technical indicators pointing toward a breakout, Solana is primed to test key resistance at $153.65.

If SOL breaks through this critical resistance level, it is likely to experience significant upward movement, targeting higher price levels.