Cardano (ADA) is experiencing declining momentum amid a broader market downturn. Over the past month, the crypto asset has shed nearly 12% and is currently hovering around $0.70.

Recent on-chain data reveals that whales offloaded more than 100 million ADA tokens last week, which further contributed to increased selling pressure and uncertainty over the assets near-term performance.

Despite this downturn, Cardanos crowd sentiment appears to have been moving in a different direction as it hit a milestone that can potentially catalyze a much-needed turnaround.

Cardanos Market Sentiment Improves

Santiments latest data revealed a surge in positive sentiment for Cardano as it reached its highest level in over four months. According to the on-chain intelligence platform, social media users are posting more than 3.5 positive comments for every negative one, a ratio not seen since late October to early November 2024.

Specific altcoins like Cardano are seeing high positive sentiment on social media. Aided by the fact that the SEC classified $ADAs use case as smart contracts for government services, the altcoins community has pushed up bullishness to its highest rate in over 4 months. pic.twitter.com/viUVgjYNAX

The spike in optimism comes as the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) classified ADAs use case as smart contracts for government services.

Historical data suggest that similar sentiment peaks have coincided with price movements. This renewed enthusiasm could indicate increased investor confidence and potential price volatility in the near future.

Factors Driving Cardano

As Cardano navigates the volatile market, three key factors are driving its momentum.

For instance, President Donald Trump announced on March 2 that ADA would be among the cryptocurrencies in the United States strategic crypto reserve. A March 6 executive order later clarified that altcoins would be included in the Digital Asset Stockpile (DAS) and overseen by the Treasury.

While this was a welcome move, many market participants were quick to criticize Cardanos inclusion, citing its low activity levels, which have hindered its price.

Secondly, Cardano Foundation CEO Frederik Gregaard confirmed that the project is collaborating with NASA on blockchain-based data solutions.

The partnership focuses on data provenance, track-and-trace mechanisms, and satellite data applications. NASA is leveraging Cardanos advanced Merkle Patricia Tries (MPTs) to ensure efficient and verifiable data storage. MPTs enable Cardano to handle large-scale data by constantly updating datasets—a capability lacking in many other blockchain networks.

Additionally, Cardanos growth and adoption prospects could receive a major boost as institutional capital flows in, driven by exchange-traded fund (ETF) applications from Canary Capital and Grayscale. According to Polymarket, the odds have risen from 52% on February 24 to 67% at the time of writing.