$RLC surged 90%. My take: something’s fishy here—don’t rush to chase it.

Let’s start with the fundamentals. RLC is iExec’s computing-power token. The AI narrative has definitely been hot lately, but a 90% gain is way over the top. A trading volume of 37 million is reasonably healthy, but the problem is that this independent rally is completely out of step with BTC.

I’ve followed this coin before. Its market is too small, so a whale can pump it whenever they want. I haven’t seen any substantial positive news, and both the official website and Twitter have been quiet. Most likely, some big-money player is pumping it to attract retail buyers before dumping their bags.

Meanwhile, $BTC is holding steady at 85,500, and the funding rate of 0.0014 is perfectly normal, which suggests the futures market isn’t going crazy. In this kind of environment, a sudden surge in a small-cap coin looks more like a market maker trying to save itself.

As for NFP plunging 65%, that kind of drop is a liquidity cascade. The project team may be in trouble, or a whale may simply be dumping their tokens. At 0.00181, it’s practically on the verge of going to zero. Don’t touch this coin.

My plan: I’d sit on the sidelines with RLC around its current price of 0.714 and consider a small long position only if it pulls back below 0.5. If it keeps climbing without a pullback, that would pretty much confirm it’s being pumped so someone can dump—and chasing it would be walking straight into a trap.

Market sentiment feels a little tricky right now. When Bitcoin is flat and these small-cap coins start getting restless, it’s often not a good sign. If you’re holding any of these, make sure to set stop-losses—don’t let sentiment get in the way.

Do you think this RLC rally is an extension of the AI narrative, or just a pump to fleece retail investors?

#Write2Earn #Crypto

⚠️ These are my personal views and do not constitute investment advice.