NEAR Protocol’s token surged 34% in 24 hours to $2.32, leading a rally in AI-themed cryptocurrencies. The token is up 50% over the past week and 115% in the last 90 days, reaching a six-month high.
Trading volume jumped 190% to $1.15 billion, and the move above $2.30 triggered $9.85 million in short liquidations.
The rally follows NEAR Protocol’s announcement of major upgrades focused on privacy, AI integration, and network scaling. Aurora, NEAR’s Ethereum-compatible scaling solution, also updated its Intents Widget to enable smoother cross-chain swaps.
Broader AI token momentum was fueled by Nvidia’s Q1 2026 earnings, which showed $81.6 billion in profit and a raised revenue outlook to $1 trillion by 2027. Nvidia controls 81-90% of the AI accelerator market.
NEAR broke out of a multi-year falling wedge pattern. Resistance sits at $2.60-$3.00. A break above that could open the path to the wedge’s measured target of $5.75, roughly 160% above current levels.
Analyst Michael van de Poppe called NEAR “one of the most bullish charts” in the market, with next targets at $2.75.