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Markets

Why is Zcash price down today? ZEC open interest falls 12%

Zcash price has fallen 3.78% over the past 24 hours to approximately $1,225 on October 23, as traders reduced derivatives exposure following the cryptocurrency’s recent recovery. Summary Zcas

AnonymousCryptoCompass newsroom
October 23, 2026
5 min read
NEWS
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Zcash price has fallen 3.78% over the past 24 hours to approximately $1,225 on October 23, as traders reduced derivatives exposure following the cryptocurrency’s recent recovery.

Summary
  • Zcash price fell 3.78% to approximately $1,225 on October 23, extending its volatile October trading pattern.
  • ZEC futures open interest dropped 12.45% to $2.37 billion, pointing to reduced outstanding derivatives exposure.
  • Technical indicators show resistance near $1,234 and $1,250, while $1,200 remains an important support area.
  • Analyst Ali Martinez identified a potential recovery toward $1,350 if ZEC can defend its nearby support levels.
  • Zcash’s upcoming NU7 upgrade remains a development catalyst, although its market impact is not guaranteed.

At the same time, ZEC open interest declined 12.45% to $2.37 billion, while futures trading volume fell 10.28% to $7.23 billion, as per CoinGlass derivatives data. The simultaneous declines in price and outstanding positions suggest traders have been closing leveraged positions, although the figures do not establish whether long liquidations or voluntary exits drove the selloff.

Why is Zcash price falling today?

The latest crypto.news price data places ZEC between a 24-hour low of $1,187.54 and a high of $1,281.24. The cryptocurrency has lost approximately 24.19% over the past month, despite recovering from lower prices recorded during October.

At approximately $1,225, ZEC remains around 14.8% below its October 1 opening price of $1,438.21. The token’s market capitalization stands near $20.82 billion, with daily spot trading volume approaching $1 billion across the reported market snapshot.

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Much of the selling follows a period of considerable price volatility. ZEC recently recovered toward $1,300, giving short-term holders an opportunity to secure gains after the rebound, although available data cannot confirm how much selling came from profit-taking.

On October 19, crypto.news reported on Zcash’s recovery above $1,100 following a decline toward $1,050. That report recorded $2.29 billion in futures open interest and $13.55 million in daily liquidations, showing that leveraged trading remained substantial during the rebound.

ZEC derivatives open interest drops 12.45%

The latest contraction in open interest indicates that the total value of outstanding ZEC futures positions has fallen. At $2.37 billion, however, derivatives exposure remains substantial compared with the cryptocurrency’s daily spot trading activity.

Zcash (ZEC) open interest, source: CoinGlass Zcash (ZEC) open interest, source: CoinGlass

Futures turnover reached approximately $7.23 billion during the reported period, considerably exceeding spot volume. The difference reflects activity across derivatives and spot markets with different trading mechanisms and should not be interpreted as an equivalent amount of selling pressure.

Previous ZEC leveraged trading analysis documented a similar contraction in September, when open interest on OKX declined faster than the underlying price. That episode showed traders reducing outstanding exposure during a correction without establishing which side initiated the move.

For October 23, falling price and open interest are consistent with a reduction in leveraged positioning. Confirming forced long liquidations would require matching liquidation records, funding rates and directional positions over the same reporting period.

Zcash price prediction: Can ZEC reclaim $1,350?

The technical outlook remains mixed, with ZEC trading above its nine-day moving average of $1,199.81 but below its 21-day moving average of $1,233.95. This positioning suggests the latest recovery has not yet overcome resistance from the longer short-term average.

The nine-day average remains below the 21-day average, preserving a bearish crossover. Meanwhile, the Relative Strength Index stands at 48.78, above its signal average of 45.84 but still below the neutral 50 level.

Zcash (ZEC) price chart, source: TradingView Zcash (ZEC) price chart, source: TradingView

Crypto analyst Ali Martinez identified a TD Sequential sell signal near $1,350, followed by a reported 6.44% correction. He subsequently highlighted a buy signal and suggested that holding $1,250 could allow ZEC to recover toward $1,350.

However, with Zcash price trading near $1,225 in the latest snapshot, the $1,250 level now represents an area the market must reclaim. A sustained move above $1,233.95 and $1,250 could improve the recovery outlook, with $1,350 becoming the next notable resistance.

Another analyst, Crypto Yoda, identified $1,360 as an important breakout level after ZEC moved beyond a descending channel. The analyst suggested $1,700 as a possible subsequent target if buyers establish support above that resistance.

On the downside, losing $1,199.81 would leave the recent low near $1,187.54 exposed. Further weakness could bring the $1,100–$1,000 support region into consideration, particularly if falling prices coincide with another contraction in futures positioning.

Zcash NU7 upgrade remains a November catalyst

Beyond derivatives activity, investors are monitoring the proposed NU7 network upgrade, with developers targeting an activation around November 5. The changes include reducing target block times from 75 seconds to 25 seconds while maintaining approximately the same issuance rate over time.

The NU7 upgrade timetable includes changes to older transaction formats and a mechanism reserving part of transaction fees for future miner rewards. The November activation remains subject to the network’s final upgrade configuration and implementation requirements.

Disclosure: This article does not represent investment advice. The content and materials featured on this page are for educational purposes only.

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