Starknet (STRK), the token powering the Ethereum scaling solution of the same name, has seen an impressive 14% price increase in the past 24 hours. This surge can be attributed to several factors, including the successful STRK airdrop, positive TVL movement, and community-driven changes. However, a crucial element fueling this momentum is the optimism surrounding the upcoming Ethereum Dencun upgrade and its potential impact on Layer-2 scaling solutions like Starknet.

Starknet’s Unique Advantage

Starknet stands out among Layer-2 projects due to its utilization of zk-STARKs, a cryptographic technique offering significant scalability and security advantages. Compared to optimistic rollup solutions, zk-STARKs provide faster transaction confirmations and lower fees, making them highly attractive for developers and users alike.

Possible Reasons for the Rise in StarkNet (STRK)

• Post-Airdrop Optimism: The recent massive airdrop of STRK tokens, distributing millions to eligible users, generated significant excitement and buzz around the project. This initial distribution might be leading to further trading activity and price discovery.
• Positive TVL Movement: Starknet’s Total Value Locked (TVL) has been steadily increasing, reaching new highs recently. This growth indicates rising adoption and usage of the network, which could be fueling investor confidence in STRK’s potential.
• Community-Driven Changes: The Starknet community recently pushed back on the initial token unlock schedule, leading to developer StarkWare agreeing to adjust the distribution plan. This responsiveness to community feedback could be fostering positive sentiment around the project.
• Anticipation of Ecosystem Expansion: With several promising projects building on Starknet, including Sorare and Immutable X, anticipation of future ecosystem growth could be driving investor interest in STRK.

Ethereum Dencun and its Layer-2 Impact

The highly anticipated Ethereum Dencun upgrade, slated for March 2024, aims to address Ethereum’s scalability issues by introducing sharding. While the upgrade itself won’t directly impact Layer-2 solutions like Starknet, the broader optimism surrounding its ability to improve the Ethereum ecosystem is spilling over to Layer-2 projects. This is because Dencun is expected to create a more robust and scalable foundation for Ethereum, potentially leading to increased adoption and usage of all its connected solutions, including Layer-2s.

STRK/USD Technical Analysis

• STRK/USD: The price currently sits around $2.19, well above the 20-day moving average at $1.96. A successful break could signal further upside potential towards $2.30.
• MACD: The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) indicator is currently showing a bullish crossover, suggesting a potential trend reversal.
• RSI: The Relative Strength Index (RSI) is around 60, indicating the token is neither overbought nor oversold.