Why Arsenal Fan Token ($AFC) is Climbing as Chasing City Lose Steam

The Arsenal Fan Token ($AFC) is in the ascendancy, its value having jumped 11.8% in the last 24 hours after midweek fixtures saw the Gunners extend their lead at the Premier League summit. 

With their lead increasing from five points to seven, many now believe Arsenal are destined to win a first league title since 2004.

Let’s take a closer look.

How $AFC Jumped at Expense of $CITY

Between Feb. 19 and Mar. 4, the Arsenal Fan Token ($AFC) mostly stayed within a tight 3% range, but that all changed after Wednesday night’s games, when Arsenal recorded a 1-0 away win over Brighton and Manchester City drew 2-2 with Nottingham Forest. 

Within hours, trading volume for $AFC rose from $3m to $5m as the markets priced in Arsenal’s success. The value of the Fan Token topped at $.401 early on Mar. 5, marking a 12.9% jump from the previous day per Socios.com price data.

Traders will now be speculating as to whether $AFC can recover the levels it hit on Jan. 19, when it reached $0.449. This would mark a 13% spike from its current price of $0.397.

While the $AFC charts were defined by optimism, it was a different story for the Manchester City Fan Token ($CITY). As $AFC jumped, $CITY dumped, its value sliding from $0.651 mid-match to $0.620 this morning (-4.7%). Trading value also climbed, from less than $1m pre-match to $2.7m the morning after.

Readers will note that the $CITY dump wasn’t as spectacular as the $AFC pump. Does this suggest traders are putting a big emphasis on City’s game in hand, where a victory would reduce the gap to four points?

Perhaps the Forest draw indicates traders view it as a blip: going into the match, City were unbeaten in nine matches having recorded big wins over Liverpool, Newcastle United (x2), and Galatasaray. Some will contend that Arsenal are equally capable of dropping points during the run-in.

March Fixtures: Premier League on Pause

Both Arsenal and City have five games still to play in March: one in the league, one in the FA Cup, two in the Champions League, and concluding with the League Cup final, where they play each other, on Mar. 22.

In other words, City have just one chance to narrow the gap on Arsenal this month – and it’s not even in their own hands. Even if they beat West Ham away on Mar. 14, an Arsenal victory over Everton at home on the same date will preserve their seven-point lead. (City don’t play their game in hand until April.)

For the most part, then, the Premier League is on pause for the rest of March as attention switches to cup competition. These matches could also feed into Fan Token sentiment though, particularly if key players are injured or suspended, upsets recorded, or tournament progression (particularly in the UCL) assured.

With Aston Villa having been eliminated, expect this nail-biting two-horse Premier League title race to deliver plenty more drama before the season’s through.

Ronnie McCluskey: Fan Tokens Market Reporter