Loopring is an Ethereum Layer 2 scaling protocol designed for building decentralized exchanges (DEXs). DEXs built on Loopring improve upon Ethereum’s performance while retaining its security. LRC is the utility token of the Loopring network and incentivizes positive behaviour from participants. It is required for operating a DEX on Loopring and is used for the distribution of protocol fees. LRC holders also get a say in how the protocol is run.

Since it hit the market in 2017, the price of LRC has made some interesting moves, and if you want to know why then you’re in the right place. We’ve compiled everything you need in order to understand the history of LRC price, as well as the factors which influence it.

Loopring Price History

Following an initial coin offering (ICO) that raised $45 million, LRC hit the market at the end of August 2017 trading at a price of $0.10. In the first week LRC fell to $0.03 before experiencing some growth which took its price up to $0.25 around the start of October. About two months of consolidation followed until December brought fresh gains and [guidelink lrc] finished the year with a price of $0.44 — up 340% since launch.

The price rise became much steeper in the new year as LRC surged by about 270% in ten days to reach its all-time high of $2.87 on 9 January 2018. At this point Loopring had a market cap of over $1 billion. A week later the price had crashed by more than half to $0.72, and by the middle of March, LRC had fallen to $0.27. Another rally took Loopring over $1 again at the end of April but this time it didn’t have the momentum to go higher and spent the rest of the year in decline. At the end of 2018 LRC was worth $0.04 — an almost 98% decrease from its January peak.

In 2019, LRC made a couple of attempts to rally, briefly spiking to around $0.10 in January and again in April. Both times, however, were followed by a just as sudden pullback and the second half of the year showed a mostly downward trajectory. Loopring ended 2019 trading at $0.02 — about half the value with which it had started the year.

LRC price doubled in the first quarter of 2020 before losing its gains in March after a drop of more than 45% in a single day. This marked the start of a period of growth and after setting a series of higher highs and higher lows, LRC reached a price of $0.30 in September. A 65% retracement followed which took prices down to $0.11 in the first week of November, and after a brief rise to $0.25, a mostly bearish December left LRC at $0.17 at the year’s end.

Bullish sentiment returned at the start of 2021, and after a single day increase of 57% on 3 January, the growth continued until LRC peaked at $0.92 on 12 February. Prices mostly fell in the following two months, and by 8 April 2021, Loopring was trading at $0.57, which still represents year-to-date gains of 240%.

Analyzing Loopring Price History

Loopring’s price history can be analyzed with many of the same techniques as stock market analysis. Technical analysis involves looking at the charts to make sense of previous price movements. With LRC, as with many other tradable assets, large price swings are often accompanied by spikes in trading volume, as a large number of users buy or sell their coins on exchanges.

Fundamental analysis, on the other hand, looks at the finances and activities of a company, as well as the state of the wider market and economy. In December 2019, the protocol partnered with Chainlink and transitioned from Loopring 2.0 to Loopring 3.0, which led to an almost 1000x improvement in efficiency. Loopring also launched its own DEX three months later. These activities would appear to be a positive sign for the value of LRC and likely helped stimulate the growth that has followed since.

Broader market trends have also played a role in Loopring’s price history. Its surge at the end of 2017 which continued into the start of 2018 wasn’t unique — the entire crypto market pumped around this time. Bitcoin was in the midst of a major bull run then, and with such a strong market dominance, any significant price movement for Bitcoin often impacts other cryptocurrencies.

LRC’s huge single-day drop in March 2020 came as economies and borders were closing down around the world in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The effect of this was felt by the whole cryptocurrency sector and the entire stock market, which experienced the biggest single-day crash since 1987.

The overall price trend of Loopring tends to follow what’s known as a boom-and-bust cycle. This is a pattern in which a period of growing excitement leads to a surge in price, before doubt and disillusionment set in and result in a crash.

Factors Influencing The Price of Loopring (LRC)

A variety of different things can affect the price of Loopring, including project news and developments, the flow of assets on exchanges, public sentiment, and emerging trends in the wider cryptocurrency and global economies.

LRC has a capped max supply, making it a scarce asset like Bitcoin. However, over 20 million LRC have been burned since Loopring launched and more may be burned in the future, meaning the supply of LRC actually decreases over time. Given this decreasing supply, a sustained or increasing demand for LRC would cause its price to increase.

One of the drivers of LRC demand is the fact that an operator must lock up at least 250,000 LRC in order to run a DEX on Loopring. As long as the DEX is running, the operator’s staked LRC is off the market, and if they misbehave some of their LRC can be confiscated and burned. Thus, the more DEXs there are running on Loopring, the greater the upward pressure on LRC price will be.

Liquidity providers receive 80% of Loopring protocol fees, with at least half of that amount going to LRC-related trading pools and pairs. As such, there may also be demand for LRC from people wanting to provide liquidity to those pools and earn fees.

Another source of LRC demand could be the governance rights it provides. The Loopring DAO (decentralized autonomous organization) is launching in Q3 of 2021 and will receive 10% of all protocol fees. LRC holders can vote on what to do with those funds, and if they decide to use them to buy back LRC and burn it, this could stimulate LRC price growth.

Live Loopring Value and Market Cap

The live price of Loopring varies from moment to moment as it’s dictated by the balance of buyers and sellers on exchanges, which is in constant flux. 

Given Loopring’s volatility, its live price can change by a large amount in a very short space of time. The market cap of Loopring is equal to the price of Loopring multiplied by the number of LRC in circulation..

Loopring Price FAQ

How is the price of Loopring calculated?

Loopring’s price at any given time is decided by the balance of supply and demand on exchanges. When more people are buying LRC than selling it, the price goes up, and when more are selling than buying, the price goes down.

Why is the price of Loopring different on different cryptocurrency exchanges?

Loopring’s price is based purely on trading as there is no standard global LRC price, so no one knows what it is “supposed” to cost. The trading volume and liquidity is different for each exchange and those differences are what affect the price.

What will Loopring be worth in the future?

It’s impossible to make price predictions with any kind of certainty as a number of different things could play a role in determining LRC’s future value. However, if more DEXs are built on Loopring in the future, LRC will likely rise in price. Also, the decisions of the Loopring DAO could lead to a reduced supply and/or increased demand.

Conclusion

The price of LRC has had an interesting history, from hitting the market in August 2017 at a price of $0.10 to reaching an all-time high in January 2018 of $2.87. The journey hasn’t been smooth, however, as Loopring’s volatility has led to many surges and crashes along the way.

Many different factors have played a part in deciding the price of LRC, including its decreasing supply, demand from DEX operators, and trends in the rest of the crypto market and wider economy. Its current valuation is derived from the balance of supply and demand in the markets and constantly changes.

If you want to get started with the most user-friendly trading experience on the market, register with Kriptomat today to begin your journey into the world of Loopring and cryptocurrencies!