Sometimes described as China’s answer to Ethereum, Neo was founded in 2014 by Da Hongfei and Erik Zhang. Initially called Antshares, Neo provides blockchain infrastructure for the building of decentralized apps (Dapps), with interoperability, built-in oracles, and one block finality. The network employs a unique dual token system, in which GAS is used to pay for network fees, smart contract deployments, and in-Dapp purchases.

NEO, on the other hand, is used for governance, and NEO holders are the owners of the network. Since the cryptocurrency launched in 2016, its price has seen significant change and if you want to know why then you’re in the right place. We’ve compiled everything you need to understand NEO price – as well as the factors which influence it.

Neo Price History

Neo was sold at $0.20 per token in its initial coin offering (ICO) which ended in September 2016. The rest of that year was spent mostly under $0.20, with a dip below $0.10 in October. NEO failed to make any significant gains for the first two months of 2017 but was back above $0.20 by the end of March. The end of April saw the start of a rally which took prices above $1 for the first time in May. The growth became much steeper in June when NEO reached a peak above $11. The next month was spent in consolidation, with prices dipping as low as $5 before the rally resumed in the second half of July. During the first fortnight of August, NEO’s market cap surpassed $1 billion for the first time as its price surged by 690% to a peak of $58, before falling back to $13 a month later. December brought fresh bullish momentum and by the end of the year, NEO had climbed to over $75 – an increase of more than 54,000% since the start of the year.

The surge continued into 2018 when it culminated in a peak at NEO’s all-time high of $206.67 on 15 January. At that point, Neo had a market cap of $12 billion. Prices dipped as low as $91 the following day and NEO set a series of lower highs and lower lows for the rest of the year. By 2018’s close, NEO was worth just $7.40, representing a drop of 96% since January’s peak.

2019 was less dramatic. NEO made some steady gains in the first half of the year, reaching a peak of $24 in June. After three months of decline, these gains had been lost by the end of September, when NEO price dipped back below $7. Another attempt to rally in October briefly took prices over $13, but by the end of the year, NEO was worth $8.64.

2020 began positively and NEO had almost doubled in price by the middle of February. It soon retraced, however, and bottomed out below $4 after an almost 40% crash on a single day in March. NEO then experienced a period of renewed growth until it reached a high of $26 in September. The rest of the year saw consolidation and NEO finished 2020 with a value of $14.29.

There was fresh bullish momentum in the new year as NEO reclaimed $30 in January and $50 in February. After consolidating in March, the growth became more pronounced in April when NEO reached a peak of $136. A pullback in the second half of that month took prices as low as $72 before a further surge took NEO up to $147 in May.

Analyzing Neo Price History

NEO’s price history can be analyzed with many of the same techniques as stock market analysis. Technical analysis (TA) involves using various indicators while studying price charts in order to make sense of previous price movements. With NEO, 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 (FA), on the other hand, looks at the finances and activities of a company, as well as the state of the wider market and economy. Neo raised its target of $5 million during the ICO, and co-founder Erik Zhang authored the Delegated Byzantine Fault Tolerance algorithm which protects the Neo blockchain from bad actors. This could be a good sign for the project’s fundamentals.

Broader market trends have also played a role in NEO’s price history. Its major surges in 2017 and 2021 weren’t unique – the entire crypto market pumped around these times. Bitcoin was in the midst of major bull runs then, and with such strong market dominance, any significant price movement for Bitcoin often impacts other cryptocurrencies.

NEO’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 NEO 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 Neo (NEO)

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

NEO has a capped max supply of 100 million which is 71% diluted, making NEO a scarce asset, like Bitcoin. This means that once the supply is reached, no more NEO will enter the market and any increase in demand for the token will therefore raise its price.

NEO provides its holders with governance rights which could drive demand for the token. Holders can vote in elections to decide the members of the Neo council. As the ecosystem expands and achieves greater adoption, NEO and its governance rights may become more valuable.

NEO holders also receive a passive distribution of the blockchain’s GAS tokens. No staking is required – GAS can simply be claimed within most NEO wallets. GAS is needed to pay for network fees, smart contract deployment, and in-Dapp purchases. Therefore, as the number of people using the Neo blockchain increases, there will be more demand for GAS, which could lead to more people holding NEO in order to claim it.

Live Neo Value and Market Cap

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

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

Neo Price FAQ

How is the price of NEO calculated?

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

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

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

What will NEO be worth in the future?

It’s impossible to make price predictions with any kind of absolute certainty, as a whole host of different factors could play a role in determining the future value of NEO. However, as the ecosystem expands, there could be more demand for the governance rights and GAS that NEO provides, which would likely boost its price.

Conclusion

The price of NEO has been on quite a journey, from its ICO price of $0.20 to its all-time high of over $200. Its price movements have rarely been smooth though, as NEO’s volatility has led to plenty of surges and crashes in its history.

Many different factors have played a role in determining the price of NEO, including its capped supply, demand for GAS, 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 Neo and cryptocurrencies!