shib

Will Shiba Inu Die Out In 2026? On-Chain Data Hold the Answer
Shiba Inu price has had a rough year. The token is down nearly 70% year-on-year and more than 90% from its all-time high. With meme coin interest fading, many now question whether SHIB is slowly dying.
That concern grew after CryptoQuant CEO Ki Young Ju said meme coins are “dead,” citing collapsing dominance and shrinking speculation. On the surface, Shiba Inu seems to fit that narrative. But on-chain data adds more layers to the story.
Meme Coin Weakness Is Real, and Shiba Inu Reflects It
The broader meme coin market has clearly weakened. CryptoQuant data shows meme coin dominance has fallen to early-2024 lows, signaling reduced speculative activity across altcoins.
Shiba Inu mirrors that trend. Price has stayed under long-term resistance, and rallies have failed to hold. Smart money wallets, which track experienced and active traders, have steadily reduced SHIB exposure throughout the year.
That suggests traders are not positioning for short-term rebounds. Simply put, informed traders are not relying on price surges, let alone rallies.
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A recent chunk of derivatives data reinforces this view. Over the past 30 days, most perpetual futures traders have cut exposure. Outside of the largest addresses, leverage remains light. This shows traders are cautious and not expecting a fast or explosive move.
In simple terms, speculation has dried up. That supports the idea that meme coins are no longer driving the market the way they once did. But speculation is only one side of the equation.
Whales and Holders Keep Adding as Coins Leave Exchanges
Despite weak price action, long-term behavior tells a different story.
Shiba Inu’s holder count, which tracks how many wallets hold SHIB, has continued to rise throughout the year. It started near 1.46 million and has grown to roughly 1.54 million. The growth has not been smooth, but the trend remains positive, even as prices fell sharply.
Whale data is more striking.
Over the past year, large holders have increased their SHIB balances by about 249%, per the image shared earlier. Mega-whale balances are up roughly 28.5%. At the same time, exchange balances, which show how many tokens sit on trading platforms, have dropped by nearly 22%. Fewer coins on exchanges usually mean less immediate selling pressure.
This trend accelerated recently. Over the past 30 days alone, whale balances rose more than 61%, while most of the exchange outflows happened during the same period.
That does not look like panic or abandonment. It looks like slow accumulation.
However, it is important to note that derivatives traders are not joining in. Outside of top addresses, leverage positioning remains muted. Whales appear early, but are not aggressive.
Shiba Inu Price Structure Still Weak, but a Reversal Setup Is Emerging
SHIB price action remains fragile, but it is not hopeless.
On the three-day chart, Shiba Inu is trading inside a long-term falling wedge, a pattern that often turns bullish if the price breaks upward. Recently, a key signal appeared.
Between December 3 and December 12, the Shiba Inu price made a lower low while the Relative Strength Index (RSI), a momentum indicator, made a higher low. This bullish divergence suggests selling pressure is weakening, raising the odds of a trend reversal.
Key levels now matter more than narratives.
The first resistance sits near $0.0000092. A clean break above this level would mark a breakout from the upper trendline that has capped the price since September. If confirmed, the next resistance zones lie near $0.000010, $0.000011, and $0.000014, which align with the last major swing high. Do note that only a level break beyond $0.0000092 could completely invalidate the “dead coin” claims.
On the downside, the structure weakens below $0.0000075. A sustained move under that level would invalidate the reversal setup and reopen downside risk.
Shiba Inu is not dead, but it is not strong either. Speculation is gone, traders remain cautious, and quick gains are unlikely. Still, rising holder counts, heavy whale accumulation, and falling exchange balances suggest the chain is far from abandoned.
If an altcoin cycle returns, Shiba Inu still has a path to revival. For now, it remains in survival mode, waiting for stronger confirmation.#shib

Shiba Inu (SHIB) has endured one of its toughest periods since launch. Over the past year, the token has fallen nearly 70% and remains more than 90% below its all-time high. As enthusiasm around meme coins continues to fade, a growing number of investors are questioning whether SHIB is slowly losing relevance—or even heading toward extinction.
Those concerns intensified after CryptoQuant CEO Ki Young Ju publicly stated that meme coins are effectively “dead,” pointing to declining market dominance and collapsing speculative activity. At first glance, Shiba Inu appears to fit that narrative. However, a closer look at on-chain data paints a far more nuanced picture.
Meme Coin Speculation Has Collapsed — and SHIB Reflects That Reality
There is no denying that the broader meme coin sector has weakened significantly. According to CryptoQuant data, meme coin dominance has dropped back to levels last seen in early 2024, highlighting a sharp decline in speculative trading across the altcoin market.
Shiba Inu has mirrored this trend almost perfectly. The price has remained stuck below major long-term resistance zones, with multiple rallies failing to gain traction. Smart money wallets—addresses associated with experienced and consistently active traders—have steadily reduced their SHIB exposure throughout the year.
This behavior suggests that informed traders are not positioning for short-term rebounds. In other words, the market is no longer betting on sudden meme-driven pumps or explosive upside moves.
Derivatives data reinforces this caution. Over the past 30 days, most perpetual futures traders have reduced their SHIB exposure. Leverage remains low outside of the largest wallets, signaling that traders are unwilling to take aggressive directional bets. Simply put, speculation has largely dried up.
But speculation is only one side of the story.
Long-Term Holders and Whales Are Quietly Accumulating
Despite weak price performance, long-term on-chain behavior tells a very different story.
The total number of SHIB holders has continued to increase throughout the year. Wallet counts have grown from approximately 1.46 million to around 1.54 million. While the growth has been uneven, the overall trend remains positive—even as prices declined sharply.
Whale activity is even more revealing.
Over the past year, large holders have increased their SHIB balances by roughly 249%. Mega-whale holdings are up approximately 28.5%. At the same time, exchange balances have dropped by nearly 22%, indicating that fewer tokens are being held on trading platforms.
This typically signals reduced immediate selling pressure.
The trend has accelerated recently. In the past 30 days alone, whale balances rose by more than 61%, while most of the exchange outflows occurred during the same period. This behavior does not resemble panic selling or abandonment—it looks more like slow, strategic accumulation.
That said, derivatives traders have not followed suit. Leverage positioning outside of top wallets remains muted, suggesting whales are early but still cautious.
SHIB’s Price Structure Remains Weak, But a Reversal Signal Is Forming
From a technical perspective, Shiba Inu’s price action is still fragile, but not without hope.
On the three-day chart, SHIB continues to trade within a long-term falling wedge—a pattern that often precedes bullish reversals if price breaks upward. A notable signal recently appeared between December 3 and December 12.
During that period, SHIB printed a lower price low while the Relative Strength Index (RSI) formed a higher low. This bullish divergence suggests that selling pressure is weakening and that downside momentum may be fading.
Key price levels now matter more than market narratives.
Primary resistance: $0.0000092
A confirmed breakout above this level would signal a break above the descending trendline that has capped price action since September.
Next resistance zones: $0.000010, $0.000011, and $0.000014
These levels align with prior major swing highs and would serve as confirmation of a broader trend shift.
Critical support: $0.0000075
A sustained move below this level would invalidate the reversal setup and reopen downside risk.
Only a decisive break above $0.0000092 would meaningfully challenge claims that SHIB is a “dead coin.”
Final Thoughts: Survival Mode, Not Collapse
Shiba Inu is not thriving—but it is not dying either.
Speculative mania is gone, traders remain cautious, and rapid gains are unlikely in the near term. However, rising holder counts, heavy whale accumulation, and declining exchange balances suggest that the network is far from abandoned.
If a broader altcoin cycle returns, SHIB still has a viable path to recovery. For now, it remains in survival mode, waiting for stronger confirmation and renewed market momentum.
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