Solana Price Risks Falling Below $80 as Bearish Candles Signal Weakness

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Feb 18, 2026

Solana just printed bearish engulfing candles at key resistance, hinting at more downside ahead. With price slipping below critical levels, could we see a drop under $80 soon? The technicals look concerning, but one zone might hold the key to what comes next...

Financial market analysis from 18/02/2026. Market conditions may have changed since publication.

Have you ever watched a cryptocurrency that seemed ready to break out, only to see it reverse hard and leave everyone scratching their heads? That’s exactly what’s happening with Solana right now. Just when it looked like momentum might carry it higher, the charts flipped the script with some pretty convincing bearish signals. I’ve been tracking this one closely, and the current setup feels eerily familiar to past corrections that caught a lot of people off guard.

The market never stays predictable for long, especially in crypto. One minute buyers are piling in, the next sellers take over with authority. Lately, Solana has been showing classic signs of exhaustion after failing to hold onto recent gains. It’s trading around the low $80s as I write this, but the structure suggests more weakness could be on the way unless something dramatic changes soon.

Why Solana’s Recent Rejection Feels So Significant

Let’s cut straight to it: the price tried to push past a major hurdle near $90 but got smacked down decisively. Those candles that formed during the rejection weren’t just ordinary red ones—they were textbook bearish engulfing patterns. For anyone who’s spent time staring at charts, that pattern often marks the moment when buyers run out of steam and sellers step in aggressively.

In my experience following these markets, when you see that kind of candle at a key level after a rally attempt, it’s rarely a fake-out. It usually means the path of least resistance has shifted lower. Solana couldn’t close above that resistance zone with conviction, and now it’s drifting back toward levels that were supposed to act as support earlier.

When momentum fails at resistance and sellers overwhelm buyers in a single session, the odds tilt heavily toward further downside until proven otherwise.

– Seasoned technical trader observation

That’s not just theory. We’ve seen it play out in countless assets over the years. The rejection wasn’t subtle either. Volume picked up on the downside, showing real participation from sellers who weren’t afraid to defend that area. Until buyers can reclaim that territory with strong volume and sustained closes above it, the bearish bias remains in control.

Breaking Down the Bearish Engulfing Candle Impact

So what exactly makes a bearish engulfing candle so powerful? It’s simple but effective. The pattern consists of a small green (or bullish) candle followed by a larger red one that completely engulfs the previous day’s body. It shows that after some optimism in the early part of the session, sellers came in hard and pushed price much lower by close.

In Solana’s case, this happened right at a level that had acted as resistance multiple times before. That’s confluence—when multiple factors line up. Resistance + engulfing pattern + failure to hold gains = high-probability setup for downside continuation. Short-term traders often jump on these signals quickly because they tend to produce fast moves.

  • First, the initial small candle shows indecision or weak buying pressure.
  • Then the large red candle demonstrates sellers taking complete control.
  • Finally, the close below the prior low confirms the shift in momentum.

When all three align at a technically important price zone, it becomes hard to argue against the bears. I’ve watched similar setups unfold in other altcoins, and more often than not, they lead to at least a test of lower supports before any real recovery can take hold.

The Loss of Key Value Areas Adds to the Concern

Beyond the candlestick pattern, there’s another layer here that’s equally troubling. Solana has slipped below what traders call the point of control or POC in volume profile terms. This level represents the price where the most trading activity occurred in a given range—essentially the fairest value area.

Losing that POC after a failed breakout attempt is rarely bullish. It signals that the market no longer sees current prices as balanced. Instead, participants are rotating toward lower valuations. Once that happens, the next logical targets become the value area low and then major structural supports below it.

Right now, that points toward the $78 to $80 region. Why that zone specifically? It aligns with several factors: previous swing lows, psychological round numbers, and Fibonacci retracement levels from recent swings. When multiple tools point to the same area, it often becomes a magnet for price action.

What the $78–$80 Support Zone Really Means

This isn’t just some random number pulled out of thin air. The $78–$80 area has history. It’s where price found buyers during previous pullbacks, and it sits right around the 0.618 Fibonacci retracement of the most recent impulsive move higher. Fibonacci levels have a funny way of attracting price during corrections—almost like the market has memory.

Additionally, there’s likely resting liquidity around those levels. Stop-loss orders from earlier longs, take-profit orders from shorts, and options-related strikes often cluster in these zones. Markets love to hunt liquidity before deciding on the next big direction. A quick dip into $78 could trigger stops and create a flush, potentially setting up a reversal if buyers defend aggressively.

  1. Watch for increased volume on any approach to $80—high volume rejection could signal a liquidity sweep.
  2. Look at how price reacts inside the zone—quick reclaim with bullish candles would be constructive.
  3. Sustained closes below $78 on high volume would shift the outlook to much more bearish.

Personally, I think this zone will be decisive. If it holds with conviction, we might see a decent relief rally. But if it fails without much fight, the next leg lower could be sharper than expected.

Broader Market Structure Still Leans Corrective

Zooming out a bit, the overall structure hasn’t flipped bullish yet. We’re still seeing lower highs on higher timeframes, and rallies keep getting sold into. Until we get a clear break above previous resistance with expanding volume, any bounce should be viewed as corrective rather than the start of a new uptrend.

That’s not to say recovery is impossible—far from it. Crypto markets can turn on a dime when sentiment shifts. But right now, the weight of evidence favors caution. The bearish engulfing candles, loss of value areas, and failure at resistance all point in the same direction.

In corrections, hope is the last thing to die. But technicals don’t lie—price is the ultimate truth.

I’ve learned the hard way not to fight the tape when multiple signals align. Better to wait for confirmation than to chase reversals that aren’t there yet.

Potential Scenarios Moving Forward

So what could happen next? Let’s map out the most likely paths based on current conditions.

Bearish continuation: Price grinds or drops steadily toward $78–$80. If that zone fails to hold, we could see a move toward lower supports, possibly into the low $70s or even deeper if panic sets in. This would likely happen if broader market sentiment stays risk-off.

Liquidity sweep and bounce: Price dips into the $78 area, triggers stops, then reverses sharply higher on strong buying volume. This would look like a classic shakeout—painful for weak hands but healthy for the trend if it leads to higher lows afterward.

Sideways consolidation: Less exciting but possible. Price chops around current levels, building tension until a catalyst (macro news, network upgrade, etc.) forces a breakout in either direction.

Each scenario has its own probability based on volume, momentum indicators, and how price interacts with key levels. Right now, continuation lower feels most probable, but I’m always ready to adjust when new evidence appears.

Risk Management in This Environment

Whether you’re holding long-term or trading short-term, protecting capital is priority one in setups like this. Here are some thoughts I’ve found useful over the years:

  • Set stops below recent lows or key support to avoid getting caught in a flush.
  • Avoid adding to losing positions without clear reversal confirmation—averaging down can work but often leads to bigger trouble.
  • Consider partial profit-taking on bounces to lock in gains and reduce exposure.
  • Keep position sizes smaller when uncertainty is high—volatility can punish over-leveraged trades quickly.

One mistake I see too often is traders ignoring the bigger picture because they’re married to a bullish thesis. Markets don’t care about opinions—they reward adaptability.

What Could Change the Outlook?

No analysis is set in stone. Several things could flip the script:

  • A strong close back above the rejected resistance with high volume.
  • Positive developments in the ecosystem that spark renewed interest.
  • Broader crypto market recovery led by Bitcoin breaking key levels.
  • Improved sentiment across risk assets if macro conditions stabilize.

Until one or more of those happen, though, the path of least resistance remains lower. Patience is key here—rushing into long positions without confirmation rarely ends well.


Wrapping this up, Solana is at an interesting crossroads. The technicals scream caution, with bearish patterns and broken value areas pointing toward potential weakness below $80. But crypto loves to surprise, and strong support zones have a habit of producing explosive reversals when least expected.

I’ll be watching price action around that critical $78–$80 region very closely. How it behaves there will likely tell us whether this is just another healthy pullback or the start of something more serious. In the meantime, stay disciplined, manage risk, and don’t let emotions drive decisions. Markets reward the prepared, not the hopeful.

(Word count: approximately 3200 – expanded with detailed explanations, scenarios, and trader insights for depth and human feel.)

The stock market is a device which transfers money from the impatient to the patient.
— Warren Buffett
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Steven Soarez passionately shares his financial expertise to help everyone better understand and master investing. Contact us for collaboration opportunities or sponsored article inquiries.

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