An XRP community figure has spotlighted what he feels is a sign of market manipulation, noting that it would allow him to scoop up XRP cheaply.
A lot of games being played in crypto right now. Keep on playing and I’ll keep scooping up XRP on the cheap. https://t.co/2QdtKdV48L
— Digital Asset Investor (@digitalassetbuy) December 17, 2025
Notably, the global crypto market has continued to face bearish pressure amid macroeconomic uncertainties, with the price of XRP facing its own unique bearish conditions. However, amid the downward trend, market observers have called attention to what they believe may be ongoing market manipulation.
Signs of Broader Market Manipulation
Specifically, the Kobeissi Letter, a global capital market commentary platform, pointed out that the Bitcoin (BTC) price suddenly spiked by $3,000 within just an hour on Dec. 17. Notably, the premier crypto asset’s value soared from $87,000 to cross the $90,000 during this sudden spike.
As a result, leveraged traders holding short positions witnessed liquidations worth $120 million due to the sudden sharp surge. Interestingly, shortly after the rise above $90,000 and the subsequent liquidations, the Bitcoin price again collapsed to the $86,000 region.
“You can’t make this up,” the Kobeissi Letter remarked. The market resource stressed that this entire event resulted in a massive $140 billion swing in Bitcoin’s market cap within just two hours.
For perspective, this is comparable to XRP dropping to essentially $0 and then bouncing back, considering XRP’s market cap stands at $111 billion, lower than the $140 billion figure from the Bitcoin price swing.
XRP Suffers the Spillover
Expectedly, the sharp Bitcoin price fluctuation also impacted XRP, but at a lower rate due to XRP’s smaller market cap. Specifically, XRP, which traded for $1.90 at 13:30 UTC on Dec. 17, suddenly spiked 4% to a peak of $1.98 at 15:30 before collapsing 5.5% to $1.87 about 30 minutes later.
As a result of this price swing, XRP gained $5 billion in market cap within an hour, and then lost $7 billion just 30 minutes later. This aligns with allegations of market manipulation supposedly perpetrated by market makers for higher profits. Most ascribed the Oct. 10 market crash to these manipulative techniques.
However, XRP community commentators like Digital Asset Investor (DAI) see this as an opportunity to procure more XRP tokens at discounted prices. According to DAI, institutions appear to be playing a lot of games in the crypto scene in recent times. Nonetheless, he charged them to keep on playing. “I’ll keep scooping up XRP on the cheap,” he said.
DAI’s comments align with sentiments held by most XRP community figures, who have urged investors to see these downturns as opportunities to buy XRP cheaply. For instance, when XRP traded for $2.25 last month, analyst Income Sharks suggested that investors who failed to buy XRP below $2 may again have the chance to do so.
Moreover, as the bearish pressure emerged in early November, with XRP trading at the lower end of the $2 mark, finance expert Coach JV insisted that seeing XRP below $2 would be a blessing. Today, XRP trades for $1.83, providing the sort of “buy-the-dip” opportunity teased by these pundits. However, investors should not see this as investment advice.
DisClamier: This content is informational and should not be considered financial advice. The views expressed in this article may include the author's personal opinions and do not reflect The Crypto Basic opinion. Readers are encouraged to do thorough research before making any investment decisions. The Crypto Basic is not responsible for any financial losses.
