Stacks (STX) has risen 6.74% in 24 hours to $0.4119, taking its weekly gain to 10.28 as interest builds around the network’s Bitcoin staking programme and a new bonding period expected around 10 November.
CoinGecko data showed STX trading between $0.3776 and $0.46 over the previous day. Daily trading volume reached approximately $108.7m, while its market capitalisation stood at about $772.4m. The token has also gained 29% over 14 days and 51.5% over 30 days, although it remains 89.3% below its all-time high of $3.86.
The rally follows the launch of Stacks’ institutional Bitcoin staking programme, which allows Bitcoin holders to earn BTC rewards without moving their assets through traditional cross-chain bridges. Participants retain control of their private keys while Bitcoin is locked on the main Bitcoin blockchain.
Staking programme attracts institutional participation
Under Stacks’ current system, users must commit STX worth about 5% of the value of their bonded Bitcoin. That requirement determines the amount of staking capacity available to them. Someone bonding $1m worth of BTC would therefore need approximately $50,000 in STX.
The programme distributes rewards generated by the network’s Proof of Transfer mechanism. Miners contribute BTC when competing to produce blocks, with eligible participants receiving the resulting rewards weekly. In the initial arrangement, assets are locked for approximately six months and the annualised target yield is about 3%, although the actual return depends on mining activity and network conditions.
The first Genesis Bond attracted approximately 230 BTC and 3.57m STX from 21Shares, HashKey Cloud, UTXO Management and Sypher Capital. The institutional rollout began in September 2026.
Bonding Period 3 is expected to open around 10 November, according to CoinMarketCal, although that date remains an estimate. Each bonding period lasts approximately six months, with new periods opening roughly once a month. Direct participation is initially restricted to approved users, while pooled staking offers another route to exposure.
Stacks Labs said in its 7 October technical update that PoX-5 began after the 30 July hard fork. During this phase, the Stacks Endowment determines bonding capacity, target yield and the BTC-to-STX ratio.
The planned PoX-6 phase is intended to remove the whitelist and introduce open auctions for staking capacity. No activation date has been confirmed, as development progress and governance approval are required. The future system will also need another governance proposal through the Stacks Improvement Proposal process.
STX nears resistance
STX has approached resistance between $0.45 and $0.476 after recovering from August lows near $0.12 and forming higher highs and higher lows through September and October. Its latest recorded daily high was $0.4502, with support around $0.40 and then $0.35-$0.37.
Analyst Elite Crypto said STX had broken out of a descending wedge after reclaiming levels near $0.203 and $0.288. The analyst identified $0.476 as the next resistance and $0.70 as a possible target if that level is overcome, but stressed that the projection depends on confirmation of the breakout.
Technical indicators showed strong but slowing momentum. The MACD line was 0.0307, compared with 0.0301 for its signal line, while the histogram was positive at 0.0006. The RSI stood at 70.95, above its moving average of 68.15 and slightly beyond the conventional overbought level of 70.
A bearish MACD crossover could lead to consolidation or a correction, while a sustained move above $0.45 would strengthen the near-term trend. A fall below $0.40 could expose support near $0.35.
Bonded BTC remains subject to timelock transactions, and the system does not use wrapped BTC or protocol-level slashing. Early withdrawals can return the Bitcoin but forfeit remaining yield, while the paired STX stays locked for the original period. Participants remain exposed to STX price movements, lock-up periods and risks linked to new smart contracts.
This article is not investment advice.
