What happened

Solana (SOL 2.42%) and Decentraland (MANA 3.91%) have each seen sell-offs over the last 24 hours, with their tokens each down roughly 3%, respectively, as of 2 p.m. ET on Wednesday. However, Polkadot (DOT -0.23%) has been making gains, and is now up roughly 2% over the last 24 hours. 

Solana and Decentraland's falling token prices appear to be largely driven by recent negative momentum in the broader crypto space. Meanwhile, Polkadot appears to be fighting through the pressure as investors bought back in after a day of intense sell-offs. 

A candlestick chart.

Image source: Getty Images.

So what

The cryptocurrency market has broadly faced bearish momentum over the last seven days of trading. Bitcoin and Ethereum's ether token have each fallen roughly 11% over the last week. This overall momentum has driven token pricing for Solana, Polkadot, and many other altcoins lower over the stretch. Decentraland's mana token is down in today's trading, but it's actually up roughly 22% over the last week thanks to excitement surrounding its metaverse functions. 

It's possible that new regulatory crackdowns on crypto in China have something to do with the recent crypto sell-offs, but many of the leading cryptocurrencies have still made huge gains this year, and the recent pullback doesn't look unusual when viewed in context. 

Now what

Investors should approach Solana, Polkadot, and Decentraland's respective tokens with the understanding that the broader cryptocurrency market will likely continue to see volatile pricing in the near term. Each of these tokens is tied to supporting emerging technology services with rising demand, potentially giving them a better fundamental value case compared to many other cryptocurrencies. But it's important to keep in mind that they remain high-risk despite offering the possibility of explosive gains.