Chainlink Surges 8% as LINK Trading and Futures Activity Climb

LINK, the native token of the Chainlink network, surged 8.2% to $9.47 on August 15 as trading activity increased across both spot and derivatives markets.

At the time of writing (as of August 15 at 21:47 IST), LINK was trading at $9.47. The move came as the broader crypto market remained volatile, with Chainlink outperforming many large-cap cryptocurrencies. The price move pushed LINK’s market capitalization to $7.09 billion. Trading volume also picked up, increasing 114.89% to about $515.84 million, according to CoinGecko data. 

Futures activity also picks up

The futures market has also become more active. 

According to data from Coinglass (at 21:47 IST), open interest in LINK increased 15% to $685.97 million, while futures trading rose 140% to $973.04 million. Open interest tracks the value of active futures positions, so the surge shows that traders were putting more money into LINK-related contracts as the token gained. 

The move is notable because the broader crypto market has remained under pressure. LINK has gained 13.48% over the past week, making it one of the strongest performers among the 15 largest cryptocurrencies by market capitalization. Most other major crypto assets recorded either losses or gains of less than 4% over the same period, according to data from CoinGecko.

Why is LINK surging

Institutional and traditional investment products have also contributed to the recent attention around LINK. Hunter Horsley, CEO of Bitwise, said the company’s Chainlink ETF saw unusual participation this week after recording inflows on several days.

In a post on X, Horsley said that the Bitwise Chainlink ETF received about $1.5 million in inflows during the week. The money entered the fund even as the wider crypto market continued to struggle. 

The Bitwise Chainlink ETF $CLNK had inflows multiple days this week. ~$1,500,000.

Delighted to see investors expanding their understanding.

Finance is coming onchain — investors see Chainlink powering it all.

— Hunter Horsley (@HHorsley) August 14, 2026

Horsley said the rising participation was encouraging because it showed investors were learning more about Chainlink. He also pointed to the network’s growing use and efficiency, saying investors were increasingly seeing Chainlink as a possible link between traditional financial markets and the crypto industry.

The Bitwise ETF gives investors a way to gain exposure to Chainlink through a traditional investment product rather than buying LINK directly. Bitwise previously described the product as giving investors access to Chainlink, which it says connects blockchain networks with real-world data.

LINK moves toward the $10.87 resistance

Looking at the chart, Chainlink has been trading in a consolidation between the resistance level of $11 and the support level at $6. The token has so far printed about 3 major bullish candles, with the current candle still pushing forward.

Trading volume jumped 114.89%, while futures open interest climbed 15%, putting the $10.87 resistance level in focus.

The token is pushing back up to the resistance level but still needs to break above the current structural high at $10.867. 

Meanwhile, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) is currently at 71.89, which means the price is already reaching an overbought level but still has room to grow before sellers attempt to take over. 

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