Chainlink breaks September high as derivatives data defies overheating narrative
Chainlink (LINK)
Editor:
Eugene Serbin
cryptocurrency.com.tr reports that Chainlink reached $13.86 at 14:55 UTC on September 25, 2026, marking an 11.2 percent gain over the previous 24 hours. The asset broke above its September high of roughly $13.70, a move often cited alongside a 25 percent rise in open interest as evidence of an overheated market. However, the outlet queried derivatives data to verify this sentiment and found that funding sits exactly at the baseline rate on the checked perpetual markets.
This baseline funding level suggests the market may not be as overheated as the open interest figures alone might imply. Over the past seven days, LINK has gained 18.5 percent, while the 30-day gain stands at 22.7 percent. The daily trading range extended from a low of $12.46 to a high of $14.19.
These derivatives metrics are presented as more critical for leverage and entry decisions than any specific price target. The price figures were retrieved from CoinGecko's public market interface at the time of the report. The outlet notes that these three derivatives figures matter more than targets for portfolio holders and those weighing an entry.
The break above the high is described as real, supported by the specific volume and funding data examined. The report concludes by outlining how these figures impact leverage, buying routes, and tax positions for investors. The source does not provide a direct quote from a specific individual, but attributes the analysis of the data to the outlet's own query.
How the market reacted
Whalio's own Binance spot order flow for LINK, measured when this story was written up on 25 September 2026. Not the outlet's figures.
Whalio spot data shows LINK trading at $13.22 with a 1-hour buy ratio of 49.9 percent, which is slightly lower than the 4-hour ratio of 52.5 percent and the 24-hour ratio of 53.6 percent. This decline in the short-term buy ratio suggests that immediate buying pressure is fading compared to the broader daily trend. The 1-hour volume delta is negative at -$2,849, indicating net selling in the last hour, whereas the 4-hour delta is positive at +$410,488. Over the last 24 hours, the volume delta is +$3,405,289, and the cumulative volume delta closed at +$12,769,205. This positive delta means that buyers have been more aggressive than sellers, driving the net flow into the asset. Whalio recorded 17 hours of net buying out of 24, with a total spot volume of $46,880,834 and 474,864 trades.
The latest daily buy ratio of 49.4% sits at the 56th percentile of the last 322 days, against a median of 48.8% - ordinary for this coin.
Was that an ordinary day?
The same Binance spot measurements for LINK, averaged over the days leading up to the story.
Over the preceding week, the average buy ratio was 51.0 percent, with the latest day showing a 2.6 percentage point increase above that average. This indicates that today's buying intensity is higher than the weekly norm, even as the 1-hour ratio dipped. Spot volume was 1.16 times the weekly average, confirming that trading activity is elevated compared to typical days. The coin saw net buying on five of the seven days in the preceding week, with a total volume delta of +$9,494,066. The price change over the eight-day period was +16.1 percent, reflecting a sustained upward trend. This context places the current day as an unusually active period for LINK, driven by above-average volume and strong cumulative buying pressure.