LUNA, UST Volatility Spikes As Voting On Terra Fork Begins

After losing most of their value in the past two weeks, Terra's native tokens- UST and LUNA- are experiencing large price swings.
By Ambar Warrick
LUNC News: TGF Submits Terra Classic Recovery Proposal 10946

After losing most of their value in the past two weeks, Terra’s native tokens- UST and LUNA- are experiencing large price swings.

The volatility comes just after Terra opened community voting on its recovery proposal- which proposes to hard fork the blockchain into a new version.

The new version will discard the UST stablecoin, and also create a new LUNA token. The old chain will be called Terra Classic.

Early voting shows that nearly 78% of Terra holders are in favor of the hard fork. This contrasts the results of a preliminary vote, as well as online rhetoric that opposed the move. About 20% of Terra holders have voted against, and vetoed the hard fork proposal. Voting is set to close on May 25.

Advertisement
Advertisement

UST, LUNA volatility spikes

UST was the more volatile of the two. Prices jumped as much as 200% in minutes after voting on the proposal began, before crashing down to below $0.1 shortly after. The token had then swung around the price level before settling at $0.09 at press time- down 28% in the past 24 hours.

LUNA prices also jumped as much as 10% in the initial few minutes of voting. Since then, the token has crashed drastically to as low as 0.00001464, and is trading down about 20% in the past 24 hours.

Both LUNA and UST have lost over 99% of their value since the beginning of May, data from Coinmarketcap shows. The Terra crash is considered to be one of the most drastic losses of value in recent history.

Mixed sentiment over the hard fork is playing a major factor in the prices of the two tokens. But it is unclear how prices will play out if a Terra version 2 is actually launched.

Advertisement
Advertisement

Hard fork or value redistribution?

Prior to the opening of the vote, Terra developers were stuck between two main paths forward- to fork, or to use existing reserves to repay investors.

Several major voices in the crypto community, including Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin, and Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao had called on Terra to redistribute its remaining reserves to help support developers and investors.

Under the forking plan, a new version of LUNA will be airdropped to holders on the old chain. But given the lack of goodwill towards Terra after the crash, market participants expect the new token to follow the same path as its predecessor.

Advertisement
Ambar Warrick
With more than five years of experience covering global financial markets, Ambar intends to leverage this knowledge towards the rapidly expanding world of crypto and DeFi. His interest lies chiefly in finding how geopolitical developments can impact crypto markets, and what that could mean for your bitcoin holdings. When he isn't trawling through the web for the latest breaking news, you can find him playing videogames or watching Seinfeld reruns. You can reach him at [email protected]
Why trust CoinGape: CoinGape has covered the cryptocurrency industry since 2017, aiming to provide informative insights to our readers. Our journalists and analysts bring years of experience in market analysis and blockchain technology to ensure factual accuracy and balanced reporting. By following our Editorial Policy, our writers verify every source, fact-check each story, rely on reputable sources, and attribute quotes and media correctly. We also follow a rigorous Review Methodology when evaluating exchanges and tools. From emerging blockchain projects and coin launches to industry events and technical developments, we cover all facets of the digital asset space with unwavering commitment to timely, relevant information.
Investment disclaimer: The content reflects the author’s personal views and current market conditions. Please conduct your own research before investing in cryptocurrencies, as neither the author nor the publication is responsible for any financial losses.
Ad Disclosure: This site may feature sponsored content and affiliate links. All advertisements are clearly labeled, and ad partners have no influence over our editorial content.