Pi Network price has surged more than 13% to an intraday high of $0.083 after the Core Team confirmed a Protocol v25 upgrade for July 22, lifting retail sentiment around the battered token.

According to data from crypto.news, Pi Network (PI) price traded near $0.082 at press time after rebounding from its July 14 record low around $0.071. The advance stood out as Ethereum, Solana, and other high-beta cryptocurrencies fell alongside a global technology-stock rout.

Protocol v25 and leveraged demand have fueled the rebound

Pi Network’s Core Team confirmed that Protocol v25 will improve network stability and add tools for more efficient, privacy-preserving smart contracts. The team also introduced a redesigned Mining App menu intended to simplify access to ecosystem features and applications. Pi Network’s announcement gave traders a dated catalyst after PI lost about 27% over the previous week.

Derivatives traders quickly increased their exposure. PI futures open interest rose to $10.73 million from $10.44 million a day earlier. Rising leverage, combined with thin order books, likely helped accelerate the move as bearish positions faced pressure above $0.080.

Meanwhile, Pi Network’s retail-heavy market structure helped the token move independently of large-cap altcoins. Global technology shares fell on July 17 as investors reduced leveraged exposure to semiconductor and AI stocks, while renewed Middle East tensions pushed oil prices higher.

U.S. initial jobless claims also dropped to 208,000 from 216,000, another sign of resilience in the labor market. Firm economic data can reduce the case for Federal Reserve rate cuts, a development that usually hurts speculative assets. PI’s network-specific catalyst outweighed that pressure during Friday’s session.

On the lower-time-frame chart, PI has formed three troughs around $0.073–$0.075, creating a possible triple bottom. The pattern requires a decisive close above its neckline near $0.082–$0.083. A confirmed breakout could open a move toward $0.086, where the chart shows the next short-term target.

According to trader Crypto With Gopal, buyers have repeatedly defended the same support zone.

“Support has held multiple times—now all eyes are on the breakout. Market sentiment is turning increasingly bullish.”

The daily chart presents a tougher test. PI remains inside a descending channel that has controlled price action since late April, while the Supertrend stays bearish at $0.101. A rebound toward that level would still leave the token beneath the channel’s upper boundary, now located around $0.108.

Weak money flow and token unlocks threaten the recovery

Chaikin Money Flow remains negative at approximately -0.15, which shows that capital outflows still exceed inflows despite Friday’s bounce. PI must push the indicator above zero and reclaim $0.101 before the daily chart supports a durable trend reversal.

Supply also remains a structural risk. PiScan data showed roughly 127.5 million PI scheduled to unlock over a 30-day period, equal to an average of about 4.25 million tokens per day. Continued releases could limit gains unless network activity creates enough demand to absorb the new supply.

A rejection from $0.083 would weaken the triple-bottom setup and return attention to $0.074. A daily close below that support would invalidate the recovery thesis and expose the record-low region near $0.071, with the descending channel allowing further losses toward $0.065.