# Should You Buy Monero (XMR)? Supply, Demand and Price Drivers (Oct 2026)

*Originally published at https://mrnasdog.com/research/xmr (checked Oct 17 2026)*

As of Oct 17 2026, Monero scores 6/10 on our framework, and its supply-and-demand signal reads **mixed**.

- **Long-run signal:** mixed (Oct 17 2026)
- **Score:** 6/10 — supply 3/5, demand 3/5
- **New supply:** +0.21% in 90 days · +0.84% in a year
- **Demand:** moderate (3/5)
- **Price drivers:** 1 ▲ price up · 0 ▼ price down

## Where new Monero comes from

Monero pays miners a fixed 0.6 XMR per block forever, about 38.8K new coins every 90 days, and nothing burns or locks any. Supply grows about 0.21% a quarter.

New XMR: +0.21% in 90 days, +0.84% in a year. Supply score 3/5, "light" (place 65 of 101).

## Demand today

Monero demand: 3/5 (**moderate**), place #29 among 110 coins — interest today plus the buying that could come later.

Extra Monero demand detail for members stays on the live page.

## What could move Monero's price

3 things outside the score can move XMR's price — today 1 ▲ up, 0 ▼ down.

### • Exchange bans

Big exchanges left in 2024; EU ban starts Jul 10 2027.

Good for the price: Exchanges list XMR. Bad for it: More delistings.

| Date | What happened / what is coming |
|---|---|
| Jan 5 2024 | OKX delists XMR |
| Feb 20 2024 | Binance delists XMR |
| Oct 31 2024 | Kraken stops EU trading |
| Jan 12 2026 | Dubai (DIFC) bans XMR |
| Jan 14 2026 | Price record $798 |
| Jul 10 2027 | EU privacy-coin ban (coming) |

*Checked Oct 11 2026*

### ▲ Mining attacks

Hashrate 6.05 GH/s, record 6.36; worst attack was Sep 14 2025.

Strong, no attacks → price up · An attack → price down. Now: ▲ up side.

| Date | Network hashrate (7-day avg) |
|---|---|
| Jul 31 2026 | 5.51 GH/s |
| Aug 31 2026 | 5.87 GH/s |
| Sep 30 2026 | 6.17 GH/s |
| Oct 18 2026 | 6.05 GH/s |

*Checked Oct 18 2026*

### • FCMP++ upgrade

Beta tests running since Oct 5 2026; mainnet date not set.

Upgrade ships → price up · Delay or bug → price down.

| Date | What happened / what is coming |
|---|---|
| Apr 27 2024 | FCMP++ plan published |
| Oct 3 2025 | First test network |
| Apr 28 2026 | Beta test network |
| Oct 5 2026 | Beta v3 test fork |
| Oct 8 2026 | Mainnet: no date yet |

*Checked Oct 11 2026*

## Should you buy Monero? The questions, answered

### Is it time to buy the Monero dip?

Supply and demand point to a mixed long-run signal for Monero (Oct 17 2026, score 6/10). Monero adds +0.21% new supply in 90 days, and demand reads moderate (3/5). Monero's price drivers: 1 ▲ price up, 0 ▼ price down.

### Monero or Zcash for someone who wants a privacy coin?

Zcash looks a bit stronger by our numbers: 7.5/10 against Monero's 6.5/10 (Oct 11 2026), mainly on demand (5/5 against 3/5). But Monero adds less new supply, +0.84% a year against +3.86% for Zcash. Both face the EU exchange ban on Jul 10 2027. Supply and demand still read mixed for Monero in the long run.

### What has been lifting Monero's price?

Probably a stronger, safer network. Monero's hashrate hit a record 6.63 GH/s, and the worst mining attack was back on Sep 14 2025. The FCMP++ upgrade has also been in beta tests since Oct 5 2026, though no mainnet date is set yet. Our supply-and-demand read for Monero stays mixed.

### Could Monero ever hit $10,000?

Monero trades near $531 (Oct 17 2026). $10,000 a coin means a $188B market cap, 19 times today's $10B. Monero's supply also grows +0.84% in the next year, so every extra coin needs buyers too. Supply and demand still read mixed for Monero in the long run.

### Is it time to take profit on Monero?

We would read Monero differently if new supply jumps (today +0.21% in 90 days), or demand falls from moderate. Until then Monero's signal stays mixed. Mark this date for Monero: Jul 10 2027 — EU privacy-coin ban.

### Is Monero a good investment right now?

Monero scores 6/10 on our framework (Oct 17 2026): supply 3/5 (light), demand 3/5. Over the next year Monero's supply changes +0.84%. The long-run signal is mixed.

### How do I know when to buy Monero?

Supply and demand favor Monero most when little new supply is coming, demand is strong and the price drivers point up. Right now Monero has +0.21% new supply in 90 days (light), demand moderate (3/5), drivers 1 ▲ / 0 ▼.

### Will Monero go up in 2026?

Monero's price drivers today: 1 pointing up, 0 pointing down, out of 3. • Exchange bans: Big exchanges left in 2024; EU ban starts Jul 10 2027. ▲ Mining attacks: Hashrate 6.05 GH/s, record 6.36; worst attack was Sep 14 2025. • FCMP++ upgrade: Beta tests running since Oct 5 2026; mainnet date not set.

### Should I buy Monero or Bitcoin?

Monero: mixed signal, 6/10 · Bitcoin: positive signal, 8.5/10 (Oct 17 2026). By supply and demand, Monero reads weaker than Bitcoin today.

## Where to read the rest of XMR

- XMR supply, line by line: https://mrnasdog.com/research/xmr/inflation
- Where Monero sits among all coins: https://mrnasdog.com/coins
- Why supply and demand decide XMR's signal: https://mrnasdog.com/research/pressure-framework/full

*Every answer here applies basic economic theory — the law of supply and demand — to this coin's data. It is not financial advice.*