The rising momentum of memecoins has slowed significantly since mid-November, with price data suggesting a shift in market dynamics. Meanwhile, decentralized finance (DeFi) tokens have surged in popularity amid renewed investor interest and positive sentiment.
Memecoin Rally Stalled as DeFi Tokens Soar on Renewed Interest
The GMCI Memecoin Index, which tracks the performance of top meme tokens by market cap, has remained stagnant over the past few weeks.
The index currently stands at 508.5 and has been fluctuating around the 500 mark since mid-November. This comes after an impressive rally earlier in the month when the index rose from 274.5 on November 1 to 523.5 in mid-November.
“The memecoin market appears to have overheated, with exchange listings triggering spikes in token prices in mid-November, followed by growing investor fatigue fueled by controversies like Pump.fun,” said Min Jung, research analyst at Presto Research.
Pump.fun, a leading memecoin launchpad on the Solana network, recently suspended its livestreaming features due to reports of harmful behavior, including threats of self-harm and cases of child and animal abuse.
“As a result, many memecoins have shifted their focus to AI and other niches,” Jung added, highlighting a trend where investors are turning to micro tokens in search of higher returns.
In contrast, the DeFi sector has witnessed a resurgence, with the GMCI DeFi Index, which tracks leading DeFi tokens, recording a 35% increase from 82.47 on November 14 to 111.43 at press time.
Arthur Cheong, founder and CEO of Defiance Capital, attributed this shift to capital rotation. “We saw money flowing back into ETH and DeFi projects on the EVM chain, such as AAVE, ENA, and ENS,” he said.
Cheong suggested that this shift could indicate traders are moving away from the overheated memecoin market or seeking better fundamentals in DeFi projects.
*This is not investment advice.
