Zcash (ZEC) recorded a notable uptick while Bitcoin showed pullbacks, bringing attention to the possibility of a move close to 49% toward levels near $1,000. According to market coverage, ZEC’s price was moving around $671 in the analyzed period and has shown behavior partially decoupled from BTC.
ZEC has shown a negative correlation with Bitcoin near -0.78, which indicates inverse movements in recent periods, and has accumulated more than a 65% gain since early November. This pattern has fueled the narrative of the token’s independence from the market dominant, strengthening the case for a differentiated performance profile.
In addition, market reports note that around 30% of ZEC’s supply would be in “shielded” pools, a metric analysts interpret as indicative of demand for privacy. Technically, the bullish momentum has been identified as a “clean breakout” by market commentators, and some analysts place a target near $1,000 — 49% above the referenced price — in the short term, according to reviews in Tokenpost and other coverage.
Institutional adoption appears as a catalyst: groups like Cypherpunk Technologies have increased positions in ZEC, reinforcing the thesis of renewed interest in privacy assets. By definition, zero-knowledge proofs (zk-SNARKs) allow validating a transaction without revealing sender, receiver or amount details; this technology is the technical foundation that enables Zcash’s “shielded” transactions, and explains its value proposition compared to more transparent options.
Risks from derivatives, liquidity and technical signals
The derivatives market on ZEC shows relevant risks. The open interest in perpetuals reached approximately $663 M, and moves near $788 could trigger about $51 M in short liquidations, according to derivatives flow analysis cited in the coverage. That concentration of leverage increases the probability of violent squeezes and abrupt pullbacks, which can challenge the sustainability of the rally.
Technical indicators also warn of caution: patterns such as a double top and overbought conditions, interpreted with approaches like Wyckoff theory, point to the possibility of significant retracements — scenarios of a 30% drop or crashes toward levels like $520 have been mentioned. Other analyses present extreme scenarios with supports much lower ($224–$176) if sentiment changes drastically.
Zcash combines privacy technical fundamentals with market behavior that, for now, allows it to distance itself from Bitcoin; however, the high concentration of derivatives and mixed technical signals make any target, including $1,000, a high-risk possibility.
