Solana Jumps 3% as Alpenglow Cuts Block Time to 150ms
Solana (SOL) rose 3% to $211 amid growing interest in its Alpenglow update. The Alpenglow update (SIMD-0326) aims to slash block validation time from 12.8 seconds to 150 milliseconds. A community vote between epochs 840–842 is underway, with 9.76% in favor so far. Solana’s daily trading volume surged 43% to $12.7 billion as investors tested the $212 resistance. Positive sentiment hit an 11-week high while futures open interest rose 6.78% above $13 billion. Analysts highlight Solana’s potential edge over ETH in stablecoin markets, although decentralization and reliability concerns linger.
Bullish
Solana’s Alpenglow update has driven immediate market optimism. The 3% SOL price rise and 43% jump in trading volume mirror past rallies during major protocol upgrades, such as Ethereum’s merge. The prospect of reducing block validation to 150 ms could attract high-frequency traders, DeFi projects, and institutional funds, bolstering short-term demand. Positive sentiment peaked at an 11-week high and futures open interest rose 6.78%, indicating bullish positioning. In the long run, faster block times could expand Solana’s use in gaming and stablecoin transactions, intensifying competition with Ethereum. However, network decentralization concerns and past outages could temper growth. Overall, the Alpenglow update is likely to sustain bullish momentum, with initial spikes in trading and potential for higher adoption if reliability holds.