Polkadot’s DOT token came under pressure as the wider crypto market moved lower and traders reduced exposure to altcoins. At press time DOT traded at $1.29, down 4.05% over the past 24 hours, though it remained up 1.59% over the past seven days. The latest drop outpaced both Bitcoin and the broader crypto market showing sharper weakness in DOT during the recent risk-off move.
The total crypto market cap fell 1.75% in the past 24 hours while Bitcoin dropped 1.56%. DOT posted a larger decline than both. The move showed weaker relative demand for DOT during the latest market pullback.
The Altcoin Season Index also fell 5.41% pointing to capital moving away from altcoins. DOT tracked that broader rotation, with selling pressure rising as traders cut exposure to higher-risk assets. The price action matched a negative beta pattern where an asset falls more than Bitcoin during a market-wide decline.
Trading activity also slowed. DOT’s 24-hour volume fell 38% which pointed to weaker buying interest during the sell-off. Lower participation often leaves price more exposed when market sentiment turns negative.
DOT traded close to its yearly low near $1.20, leaving that area as the main support zone in the short term. A hold above that level could keep the price in a narrow range and support stabilization after the latest drop.
A move higher from current levels could bring the $1.35 to $1.40 zone back into focus. That range stands as the next resistance area after the recent weakness. A stronger recovery would depend on better market conditions and improved demand across altcoins.
A break below $1.20 could expose lower support levels if weakness in Bitcoin continues. Traders are also watching Bitcoin near $76,000 and the Altcoin Season Index for any sign of a stronger risk appetite returning to the market.
The recent Hyperbridge incident is part of the broader Polkadot story. Hyperbridge raised its estimated loss to about $2.5 million after a wider review of activity across Ethereum, Base, BNB Chain and Arbitrum. The project had first placed visible losses near $237,000, but later checks showed the attacker extracted more value including losses tied to incentive pools.
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The exploit involved unauthorized minting of about 1 billion bridged DOT on Ethereum through Hyperbridge’s Token Gateway. Even so low liquidity limited how much the attacker could sell. Hyperbridge said the issue remained limited to bridged DOT and did not affect native DOT on the Polkadot network. Bridging through the affected route remains paused while the team works on a fix and prepares an outside audit.
Polkadot said the core network remained secure and the clarification helped steady sentiment after the initial sell-off. DOT had earlier dropped toward the $1.14 area before rebounding above $1.35 during the recovery move. CoinMarketCap sentiment also turned more positive, with 82% bullish sentiment from more than 954,000 voters after the market absorbed the update.
Even with that earlier recovery, the current 24 hour move reflected broader market weakness more than a fresh Polkadot-specific trigger. Price direction remains closely tied to the wider crypto market and whether DOT can continue holding above its yearly support zone.