Stellar Lumens (XLM) surged over a 24-hour period into Wednesday, reaching a high of $0.293 before closing at $0.2896, driven by institutional accumulation and renewed confidence in the network’s underlying architecture. The price action followed a significant update to Stellar’s core software , adding to momentum in a high-volume environment. On July 7, the Stellar Development Foundation published the v23.0.0rc2 release candidate for Stellar Core , marking the protocol’s next step toward broader network upgrades and ecosystem scalability. The release includes important refinements ahead of the full v23.0.0 roll-out, reinforcing trust in Stellar’s infrastructure among both developers and institutional participants. Technically, XLM gained strength throughout the 24-hour window ending July 9 at 14:00 UTC. The rally intensified between 11:00 and 13:00 UTC, with volume spiking to 163.4M and 405.9M, more than 7x the daily average of 54.7M. Key resistance levels at $0.270 and $0.278 were decisively cleared, with new support forming at those levels, according to CoinDesk Research's technical analysis data. The momentum subsequently faded somewhat, with XLM declining 2.05% from $0.293 to $0.287, triggered by a breakdown below $0.291. This sharp drop initiated cascading sell-offs, likely driven by short-term trading systems, and formed new resistance near $0.294, the model showed. While the late-session pullback highlights near-term volatility, the broader structure remains bullish. With development progress accelerating and support holding above $0.278, XLM remains technically positioned for another test of the $0.294–$0.30 zone, according to the model's data. Technical Analysis Highlights Price range: $0.252 to $0.293 - a 14.3% intraday gain before falling to $0.2896. Volume surge: Peaks at 405.9M, nearly 7.5x the 24-hour average of 54.7M. Resistance breakouts: $0.270 and $0.278 flipped to support on strong volume. Retracement of 2.05% from $0.293 to $0.287 after $0.291 was breached. New resistance: Formed near $0.294 following selling pressure. Development driver: Release of Stellar Core v23.0.0rc2 enhances sentiment around protocol maturity and upgrade readiness. Disclaimer: Parts of this article were generated with the assistance from AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and adherence to our standards . For more information, see CoinDesk's full AI Policy .