Monero defends $290 as whale adds 7K XMR – Breakout brewing above THIS?

A major whale deposited $3.16 million in USDC into Hyperliquid while expanding exposure to XMR across multiple wallets.

Since mid-January, the entity has accumulated 7,189 XMR and placed limit bids between $250 and $315 worth $1.47 million. The move reflected deliberate positioning.

Onchain Lens reported the wallet activity on the 16th of February.

Meanwhile, aggressive sellers continued pressing market orders across spot venues. At press time, XMR traded at $337.52, down 0.81% on the 4-hour session.

That divergence set up tension between the taker sell pressure and quiet limit absorption.

Range tightens below $360

XMR traded inside a defined range after its macro decline from above $700 toward the $300 region.

On the 4-hour chart, the price oscillated between roughly $290 support and $360 resistance. Reactions occurred repeatedly at both levels.

Buyers defended the lower boundary. Sellers capped advances near the upper ceiling. This compression signaled volatility contraction inside respected horizontal levels.

At the time of writing, the price hovered near $336, positioning mid-range and limiting immediate directional bias.

However, repeated range defenses often build latent energy before liquidity resolves the structure.

The RSI printed 50.10, while its moving average tracked 44.38. Momentum appeared balanced. Bearish pressure cooled after RSI rebounded from lower territory.

Taker selling dominates XMR despite absorption

The 90-day Spot Taker CVD continued to show sell-side dominance, confirming that aggressive market participants still hit bids rather than lift offers. 

This persistent negative delta signals ongoing distribution pressure across spot markets. However, price does not collapse below the $290 support zone despite the sustained selling. 

This divergence suggests that passive limit buyers absorb supply effectively beneath the surface. 

The whale’s structured accumulation between $250 and $315 reinforces this absorption narrative. 

When aggressive sellers dominate flow yet fail to force breakdowns, exhaustion often develops. 

As a result, the clash between visible sell pressure and hidden demand increases the likelihood of a sudden directional expansion once one side loses control.

Liquidity clusters threaten sharp moves for XMR 

The Liquidation Heatmap revealed dense leverage clusters around $320 and another significant concentration above $350, forming clear volatility trigger zones. 

At the time of writing, liquidation leverage near $321.89 reached approximately 135.29K, highlighting heavy positioning in that region. 

If price dips toward $320, cascading long liquidations could accelerate downside movement sharply. 

Conversely, a breakout above $350 would threaten stacked shorts and could fuel a squeeze. Price traded between these clusters, increasing structural tension.

Once either zone triggered, forced liquidations could amplify volatility quickly.

Accumulation before expansion?

Monero [XMR] sat at the intersection of whale accumulation, neutral RSI conditions, and heavy leverage clusters.

Taker selling persisted, yet structural support held.

Meanwhile, a large wallet continued scaling exposure methodically. That alignment suggested mounting tension inside compression.

A sustained hold above $290 could favor upside liquidity activation. However, failure to absorb further selling would tilt control back to the bears.

The next decisive move may resolve this range compression.

Final Summary

• Monero’s structured limit bids between $250 and $315 suggest deliberate absorption rather than momentum chasing.
• XMR traded near $337 within a tight $290–$360 range, while the Binance XMR/USDT Liquidation Heatmap showed dense leverage clusters around $320 and above $350.