Starknet’s STRK token gives back gains as DeFi weakness meets profit-taking

Starknet’s STRK token spent late September and early October doing its best rocket impression. Then gravity filed a complaint. After climbing about 385% in under four weeks, STRK dropped somewhere between 38% and 48% over the following week. By October 19, 2026, it was trading around $0.057 to $0.060, well below its recent high. The pullback lands while a community vote on Starknet’s future is still open. That vote asks whether to explore turning the Ethereum Layer 2 into its own independent blockchain. From a quarter-penny to a speculative darling The rally’s math is eye-catching. STRK sat at approximately $0.026 in mid-September. Around October 11-12, it peaked near $0.1268. The driver was a narrative, not a single product launch. Speculation centered on Starknet potentially moving from an Ethereum Layer 2 to an independent Layer 1 chain built with post-quantum security in mind. StarkWare, the company behind Starknet, fed the excitement. Its messaging around potential control over future post-quantum security upgrades drew attention. So did the launch of privacy features such as Shadow Accounts. The comedown, and what the numbers say Once STRK topped out, sellers showed up. The s...