Why Is USELESS Dropping 4.84%? Open Interest, Funding Rate, and RSI Signal Explained

BREAKING

USELESS is sliding — not because of a macro shock, but because the derivatives market is sending a clear structural signal: open interest remains elevated at $80.81M while the token sheds 4.84% in 24 hours, pointing to active position unwinding rather than a clean flush.

At the time of writing, USELESS is trading at approximately $0.2001, with a market cap of $199.29M, per Coinglass. The token has lost 0.93% in the past hour alone, extending a session of consistent downward pressure.

Elevated Open Interest Into a Decline — The Core Signal

When a token falls while open interest stays high, the mechanism is straightforward: positions are not being closed at scale — meaning the market has not yet reached capitulation. The $80.81M in open interest sitting on USELESS derivatives contracts, combined with a 24-hour liquidation total of $305.13K, tells a specific story: longs are being picked off incrementally, not wiped out in a single event.

Source: Coinglass, September 15, 2026

Why a Positive Funding Rate During a Drop Matters

The funding rate on USELESS is currently +0.0072% — positive, meaning long-side traders are paying shorts to hold their positions. In a declining market, a positive funding rate signals that the derivatives market is still net-long biased despite the price falling. This creates a structural drag: as longs continue paying funding, pressure builds to close those positions, which adds sustained sell-side flow without requiring a sharp liquidation event. The $305.13K in 24-hour liquidations is consistent with this — meaningful, but not a cascade.

RSI Across Timeframes — No Oversold Reading Yet

The RSI readings across timeframes provide additional context. At 45.21 on the 1-hour chart, 42.80 on the 4-hour chart, and 57.18 on the daily chart, USELESS is in a middle zone — not oversold on short timeframes, and still above neutral on the daily. This matters for traders watching for a potential reversal signal: the daily RSI at 57.18 suggests the broader trend has not yet turned bearish by momentum standards, but the 1-hour and 4-hour readings hovering near 42–45 indicate near-term exhaustion without triggering a classic oversold bounce setup.

For context on how funding rate dynamics have driven sharp moves in similar setups, see this analysis of FF’s funding rate and open interest signal and the breakdown of POWER’s $515K liquidation event — both cases where derivatives positioning drove the price action.

Is the Selling Pressure Sustainable?

The broader market context does not provide a clear tailwind for USELESS right now. The Fear & Greed Index sits at 68/100 — in Greed territory — yet the Altcoin Season Index is only 36/100, indicating that capital rotation into altcoins has not broadly begun. USELESS, as a sub-$200M market cap token, is highly sensitive to altcoin season dynamics. At 36/100, the index suggests Bitcoin and large caps are absorbing most inflows, leaving smaller tokens vulnerable to continued drift.

The $236.13M in 24-hour trading volume is notable — it exceeds the market cap of $199.29M by approximately 18.5%, signaling unusually high turnover. High volume into a declining price typically confirms distribution rather than accumulation. If volume remains elevated while price continues lower, that pattern strengthens the distribution read. If volume compresses while price stabilizes, it would suggest the selling is exhausting.

The metric to track is Coinglass’s live open interest figure for USELESS. A meaningful drop in open interest — particularly below $70M — alongside a price stabilization would signal that long positions are finally being closed, potentially setting a cleaner base. Until open interest contracts, the structural drag from long-side funding payments remains in place. You can also track how similar altcoin pressure patterns resolve in real time — this UNI vs. REZ divergence analysis illustrates how the same macro backdrop can produce sharply different outcomes depending on derivatives positioning.

USELESS is declining at $0.2001, down 4.84% in 24 hours, with $80.81M in open interest sustaining pressure through a +0.0072% positive funding rate that keeps longs paying to hold in a falling market. The $305.13K in liquidations shows the unwind is occurring — just not at cascade speed. Watch Coinglass’s open interest figure: a sustained drop toward $70M is the first signal that the structural drag is clearing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Source: Coinglass · Published by CoinsProbe Markets Desk

Written by

Coinsprobe Markets Desk

Crypto journalist and analyst covering blockchain, DeFi, and digital asset markets at CoinsProbe.

›