{"id":73004,"date":"2026-05-24T14:46:19","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T14:46:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/near-protocol-jumps-54-weekly-as-short-sellers-cover-and-ai-rotation-accelerates\/"},"modified":"2026-05-24T14:46:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T14:46:19","slug":"near-protocol-jumps-54-weekly-as-short-sellers-cover-and-ai-rotation-accelerates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/near-protocol-jumps-54-weekly-as-short-sellers-cover-and-ai-rotation-accelerates\/","title":{"rendered":"NEAR Protocol Jumps 54% Weekly as Short Sellers Cover and AI Rotation Accelerates"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>(Originally posted on : Bitcoin News )<\/b><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"@container mb-[25px] rounded-sm overflow-clip py-0.5 pr-0.5 pl-2.5 bg-success-100\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-col gap-m overflow-clip rounded-[6px] !bg-success-10 p-3 @[420px]:p-m\">\n<h2 class=\"m-0 flex items-center gap-s text-[19px] !text-[#1c1c1c] md:text-[20px]\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"16\" height=\"10\" viewbox=\"0 0 16 10\" fill=\"none\" class=\"shrink-0 text-success-100\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M1 1.5h14\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"\/><path d=\"M1 8.5h10\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2.5\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"\/><\/svg><span>Key Takeaways<\/span><\/h2>\n<ul class=\"m-0 flex list-none flex-col gap-m pl-0\">\n<li class=\"m-0 flex items-start gap-s !text-[#434248]\"><span class=\"mt-2 size-2 shrink-0 rounded-full bg-success-100\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><span class=\"text-body\">Short sellers absorbed millions in NEAR liquidations in 24 hours, forcing buybacks that accelerated the crypto asset\u2019s 54% weekly gain.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 flex items-start gap-s !text-[#434248]\"><span class=\"mt-2 size-2 shrink-0 rounded-full bg-success-100\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><span class=\"text-body\">Bitwise\u2019s NEAR Staking exchange-traded product (ETP) and Grayscale interest signal NEAR is attracting institutional capital beyond retail in 2026.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"m-0 flex items-start gap-s !text-[#434248]\"><span class=\"mt-2 size-2 shrink-0 rounded-full bg-success-100\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><span class=\"text-body\">NEAR\u2019s Dynamic Resharding upgrade, targeted for June 2026, is the next test for whether roadmap execution sustains momentum.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>NEAR Surges as AI Narrative and Cow Swap Integration Draw Traders<\/h2>\n<p>The most immediate driver was mechanical. Short sellers got caught on the wrong side of a breakout above a specific resistance range. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.coinglass.com\/liquidations\/NEAR\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Derivatives data<\/a> from coinglass.com show millions in NEAR liquidations primarily came from short positions, with millions wiped out in several trading sessions after the price cleared a few barriers. Forced buybacks at scale can accelerate a move fast.<\/p>\n<p>The derivatives setup also showed traders piling in through new positions. NEAR futures <span>volume<\/span> climbed massively, while open interest rose above <a href=\"https:\/\/www.coinglass.com\/open-interest\/NEAR\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">$720 million<\/a>. Rising price alongside rising open interest tends to signal new leveraged positioning rather than short covering alone. That can extend a move, but it also makes the trade fragile if funding overheats or longs get trapped late.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_816739\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-816739\" style=\"width:2224px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-816739\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">NEAR open interest on Sunday, May 24, 2026, via coinglass.com. Top five NEAR futures exchanges in terms of open interest.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The AI angle is doing real work here. NEAR markets itself as \u201cthe <span>blockchain<\/span> for AI,\u201d describing its network as an execution layer where AI agents can own assets, make decisions, and transact across chains. That framing gives traders a clean, large-cap entry point when AI-linked tokens catch a bid. NEAR AI is also part of Nvidia\u2019s Inception program, which supports its push into verifiable, privacy-preserving AI compute.<\/p>\n<p>A more recent headline added fuel. A May 20 rollout strips passwords and personally identifiable information from prompts before they reach models like <a href=\"https:\/\/news.bitcoin.com\/bitcoiner-dumps-old-computer-files-into-claude-ai-recovers-5-btc-lost-since-2015\/\">Claude<\/a>, ChatGPT, or Gemini. That connects NEAR to enterprise AI workflows and data privacy concerns, two areas drawing institutional attention well beyond <span>crypto<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>While NEAR is seeing demand and price appreciation, other AI-centric <span>crypto<\/span> assets like bittensor (TAO), venice token (VVV), injective (INJ), skyai (SKYAI), audiera (BEAT), and several others have logged double and triple-digit gains over the last 30 days. Over the last 24 hours, the AI <span>crypto<\/span> coin sector has seen a 6% lift against the U.S. dollar.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_816744\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-816744\" style=\"width:1388px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-816744 size-full\" title=\"NEAR Protocol Jumps 54% Weekly as Short Sellers Cover and AI Rotation Accelerates\" src=\"https:\/\/static.news.bitcoin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/short_nwmk.png\" alt=\"NEAR whale on the verge of liquidation via a short position. \" width=\"1388\" height=\"1108\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.news.bitcoin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/short_nwmk-300x239.png 300w, https:\/\/static.news.bitcoin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/short_nwmk-1024x817.png 1024w, https:\/\/static.news.bitcoin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/short_nwmk-768x613.png 768w, https:\/\/static.news.bitcoin.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/short_nwmk.png 1388w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1388px) 100vw, 1388px\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-816744\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">NEAR derivatives markets have logged waves of short positions being wiped out over the last few days this week.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>NEAR\u2019s chain abstraction is the stronger fundamental story underneath the AI branding. NEAR\u2019s Intents system routes <span>liquidity<\/span> across more than 35 networks, with market makers competing on pricing across chains. Users define an outcome; NEAR handles routing, signing, and execution in the background. The pitch is reducing the friction of wallets, bridges, and token routing without exposing users to the underlying complexity.<\/p>\n<p>Cow Swap\u2019s expansion to <span>Solana<\/span> using NEAR Intents as backend infrastructure put that product story in front of a new audience. Cow added NEAR Intents as part of its move from <span>decentralized exchange<\/span> aggregation into bridge aggregation. Traders are not just buying an AI label. They are buying a story that NEAR can sit behind cross-chain swaps, intent settlement, and abstracted user flows.<\/p>\n<p>Tokenomics also shifted materially in late 2025. NEAR completed a halving upgrade that cut maximum annual <span>inflation<\/span> from 5% to roughly 2.5%, with <span>staking<\/span> rewards adjusting accordingly. The network has no remaining unlock cliffs more than five years after mainnet launch. Lower issuance and no near-term supply overhangs give bulls a cleaner supply-side argument.<\/p>\n<p>A fee conversion mechanism activated in February 2026 is also drawing attention. The mechanism routes NEAR Intents fees into NEAR purchases, which traders are treating as a demand signal. That claim warrants verification against protocol dashboards before carrying too much weight, but it fits the current narrative of reduced supply pressure paired with growing fee-linked demand.<\/p>\n<p>The timing of the breakout reflects how these factors all stacked together. <a href=\"https:\/\/markets.bitcoin.com\/crypto\/near-protocol\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NEAR<\/a> had already recovered from a monthly low near $1.25 earlier in May to above $2.15 by May 22. The price then broke a technical level, short sellers were forced to cover, and <span>volume<\/span> expanded. Fresh AI headlines, the CoW Swap integration, and broader <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bitcoin.com\/get-started\/what-are-altcoins\/\" class=\"lar_link lar_link_outgoing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">altcoin<\/a> rotation were all in play at the same moment.<\/p>\n<p>Dynamic Resharding, targeted for June 2026, is the next major protocol milestone. The upgrade is designed to enable automatic scaling to handle demand spikes, with NEAR aiming for transaction throughput comparable to traditional payment networks. Execution on that roadmap will matter more than the current momentum if the network is making a case to enterprise and AI developers.<\/p>\n<p>The risks are real. High open interest with cooling spot demand can flip a move fast. AI-linked tokens can give back gains quickly when traders decide the news is already priced in. And chain abstraction as a story eventually needs measurable proof: Intents <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bitcoin.com\/get-started\/what-is-trading-volume\/\" class=\"lar_link lar_link_outgoing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">volume<\/a>, active users, solver participation, and app retention. A strong narrative can move the price for days. Usage carries it after that.<\/p>\n<p>NEAR\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bitcoin.com\/get-started\/what-is-a-market-cap\/\" class=\"lar_link lar_link_outgoing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">market cap<\/a> sits near $3.1 billion at current prices, with 24-hour <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bitcoin.com\/get-started\/what-is-trading-volume\/\" class=\"lar_link lar_link_outgoing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">trading volume<\/a> exceeding $1 billion. Its all-time high remains near $20.44 from 2022. The current level reflects a recovery, not a full return.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/news.bitcoin.com\/near-protocol-jumps-54-weekly-as-short-sellers-cover-and-ai-rotation-accelerates\/\">Source link <\/a><br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(Originally posted on : Bitcoin News ) Key Takeaways Short sellers absorbed millions in NEAR liquidations in 24 hours, forcing buybacks that accelerated the crypto asset\u2019s 54% weekly gain. Bitwise\u2019s NEAR Staking exchange-traded product (ETP) and Grayscale interest signal NEAR is attracting institutional capital beyond retail in 2026. NEAR\u2019s Dynamic Resharding upgrade, targeted for June [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":73005,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73004"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=73004"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/73004\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/73005"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=73004"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=73004"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crowdfundjunction.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=73004"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}