XRP consolidated for roughly two years before launching into a historic rally in 2017 and 2018.
Vandell Aljarrah, co-founder of Black Swan Capitalist, called attention to this history in a recent post on X. He used it to urge investors not to lose patience during prolonged market stagnation.
Aljarrah stressed that XRP’s historical price action is a reminder of how long consolidation can precede a major market expansion.
“Losing patience during market stagnation is a novice mistake,” he wrote. He recalled how XRP consolidated for approximately two years before executing a 62,000% macro expansion phase in 2017 and 2018.
XRP Historic Rally
The accompanying XRP/USD weekly chart illustrates the extended trading range that preceded the rally. XRP spent roughly 742 days consolidating around the $0.004–$0.011 range before breaking out in 2017 and eventually reaching its cycle peak in January 2018.
The chart’s measurement highlights the scale of the subsequent advance, showing a 630X price gain.
Black Swan Capitalist Co-founder Revises XRP Rally Estimate
Meanwhile, Aljarrah’s post prompted a discussion about just how much XRP gained during its historic run.
One commenter argued that the rally was closer to 64,000%, measuring the move from approximately $0.006 to XRP’s all-time high of $3.84. Aljarrah responded that the percentage depends on the starting point and exchange used to determine the price.
He argued that measuring from XRP’s 2014 cycle lows to its January 2018 peak produces a much larger gain of approximately 119,000%.
Depends where you measure it from exactly, and what exchange you're looking at. If you measure from the cycle lows of 2014 to the cycle high in Jan 2018 it was actually a 119,000% move up.
— Vandell | Black Swan Capitalist (@vandell33) October 20, 2026
Can XRP Repeat Its 2017–2018 Performance?
Not everyone agreed that XRP’s previous rally offers a useful template for the current market.
One commenter argued that today’s cryptocurrency market differs considerably from the 2017–2018 cycle. He cited the influence of market makers and alleged corruption as reasons not to expect a repeat performance.
Another questioned XRP’s long-term value, arguing that its previous rise from fractions of a cent to several dollars had not translated into comparable subsequent price appreciation.
These concerns highlight doubts about whether XRP’s past price patterns can predict its future, given how much the crypto market has changed.
XRP is currently trading at $1.34, up 2.6% over the past 24 hours, according to the CoinMarketCap data provided in the report.
At this price, XRP remains approximately 65% below its previous peak of $3.84. A 62,000% increase from its current price of $1.34 would push XRP to approximately $832. Many analysts consider such a price target unrealistic in the short term, although they may view it as a possibility over several decades.
Ultimately, Aljarrah’s argument rests on the idea that patience is important during prolonged periods of limited price movement, as recovery phases may eventually follow. For context, XRP recorded a price surge of nearly 700% during the 2024–2025 market cycle.