[DigitalToday reporter Yoonseo Lee (이윤서)] Cardano has moved sideways for months without a clear direction, but analysis says bulls hold an advantage in the medium to long term as long as a key support line holds.

The Crypto Basic, a blockchain outlet, reported on May 21 that TradingView analyst MasterAnanda viewed Cardano's current move as a long consolidation phase rather than a failed rebound in a recent market outlook.

Cardano has repeated a pattern in recent months of attempting to rise and then returning to a support zone. With gains failing to extend, neither bulls nor bears have secured a clear edge. Market attention is focused on the next direction.

MasterAnanda said Cardano has shown little movement for years, but did not see that as simple weakness.

In this market cycle, Cardano did not set a new all-time high (ATH) and did not reach even half of the $3.10 recorded in 2021. In a bear market, it also did not break down to a new cycle low. The key point is that it pulled back to near the prior cycle low and stayed within that range.

He said that even when the market weakened, Cardano did not fall below a major support zone. In an earlier downturn, Cardano slid to an accumulation zone at $0.220, but buying flowed in quickly and supported weak price action. He interpreted the current structure as a long sideways move rather than a failed rise. He also saw repeated short rebound phases as meaningful in preventing a break below key support.

He said recent rebound patterns support the same interpretation. Each time the broader market wavered, Cardano held above support, quickly gave back rebounds and returned to a demand zone. In a typical bearish structure, hovering near support for an extended period often leads to a downside break, but Cardano is rotating within a wider range and holding a structural bottom, he said.

Cardano has continued a basing process for months in this flow. MasterAnanda said this often builds momentum for the next rally. Attempts to reclaim key resistance levels have not fully gathered pace, but he judged the overall structure favors bulls as long as the main support zone holds. He added that the current range is acting as a buffer zone that defends the lower end when uncertainty in the cryptocurrency market grows.

He also laid out an upside scenario. The first chart target is $0.38. He then suggested a potential rise of 300 percent from the support zone to $1.02, the August 2025 high, and a potential rise of 947 percent to $2.62, the next major resistance zone.

Near-term volatility remains possible. MasterAnanda warned of potential turbulence that could briefly push below the current support at $0.248 and the local support at $0.22. While not ruling out a sharp drop, he judged that downside breaks during volatile trading could be good accumulation opportunities for long-term holders.

Ultimately, the key variable for Cardano is whether support holds, not the speed of any rise. A tight range may persist in the near term, but as long as the structural low is not damaged, the market is viewing this area as an accumulation phase before the next trend shift.