Home Blog Page 396

Expert Shares 3 Reasons XRP Failed to Hit Its Bullish 2025 Targets

0

With XRP on track to end 2025 at the $2 mark, a market commentator has shared why the token missed its bullish targets for the year.

For context, XRP opened 2025 with impressive momentum after jumping 290% across November and December 2024. This surge fueled optimism, and many analysts expected the asset to keep climbing throughout the year. 

However, now that the final month of 2025 has arrived, XRP shows a 2.76% loss for the year and has missed every major target set at the start. Amid the growing shift in sentiment, market commentator Zach Rector recently explained why XRP failed to deliver on those bullish expectations.

Late Resolution to the SEC vs. Ripple Case

Rector explained in a recent video that three major events slowed XRP’s progress. According to him, the first event was the long-running legal fight between Ripple and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. He noted that the case did not officially end until Aug. 22, 2025, which kept a cloud of uncertainty over XRP for most of the year. 

For context, after the SEC dropped its appeal in March 2025 as a more crypto-friendly leadership took over the agency, the negotiations for settlements lasted for months as procedural issues disrupted several attempts to finalize a deal. 

Both sides eventually agreed to end all remaining appeals in August. Ripple paid a reduced $50 million penalty and secured a waiver that covers future U.S. offerings. The end of the lawsuit restored clarity, but this happened late in the year.

Late Arrival of XRP ETFs

For the second reason, Rector mentioned the delays surrounding the first U.S.-based XRP exchange-traded funds. He said issuers waited for the lawsuit to end before moving forward. Just as the market expected the ETFs to launch in October, a government shutdown interrupted the timeline and pushed their debut into November.

Notably, the shutdown blocked regulators from reviewing documents, so several issuers revised their S-1 filings to remove language that allowed further delays. This change triggered automatic 20-day countdowns under SEC rules. 

Canary Capital’s XRP ETF launched first on Nov. 13 under the ticker XRPC on Nasdaq. Bitwise followed shortly after, with Grayscale and Franklin Templeton launching their own products soon afterward. However, these products debuted late in the year.

Clarity Act Still Pending

Rector then presented the third major factor: the ongoing wait for Congress to pass the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act of 2025. He emphasized that many investors expected this bill to strengthen the industry’s regulatory foundation and lead to fresh growth. 

For context, the bill already cleared two House committees and passed the full House with broad bipartisan support on July 17. Senate leaders originally aimed to wrap up work by Sept. 30, but the same government shutdown that affected the ETF timeline also slowed legislative progress. 

Talks restarted in early November, and the Senate Agriculture Committee released a bipartisan draft that energized the market by classifying most digital assets as commodities under CFTC oversight and reinforcing decentralization standards. 

At press time, the Senate still needs to complete its markup and schedule a floor vote. Prediction markets now assign a 30% chance of passage this year, and industry groups continue to push for stronger retail protections and clearer rules for custody.

Rector concluded that these three events – the long lawsuit, the ETF delays, and the unsettled legislation – pushed back the expected rally. He argued that XRP still follows the broader trend analysts anticipated and said he expects the asset to reach those high-end targets in 2026.

Crypto Founder Says XRP Will Decouple Over Time, Gradually, Quietly, and Then Suddenly

0

Versan Aljarrah, founder of Black Swan Capitalist, predicts that XRP will gradually decouple from Bitcoin and speculative cycles.

Right now, despite XRP’s expanding use cases and rising institutional adoption, it still moves in step with Bitcoin and the wider crypto market.

For example, last month, bearish market fears caused Bitcoin to briefly drop to $80K. This decline pulled XRP and other altcoins down with it, with XRP dipping to $1.8. A similar flash crash by Bitcoin in October saw XRP fall to $1.2.

Aljarrah and other analysts say these dips don’t reflect XRP’s real value. They claim its price is still influenced by short-term speculation, rather than by what the XRP Ledger is designed for.

They argue that XRP’s true value lies in its technology and its long-term role in global finance, not in daily price swings.

Slow Build Toward Sudden Separation

Aljarrah’s assertion that XRP will “decouple gradually, quietly, and then suddenly” mirrors his long-standing view that XRP’s price is suppressed. He has previously argued that XRP’s design makes high valuations mathematically necessary.

He often points to banks and companies adopting Ripple’s payment solutions, tokenized assets, and real-time settlements. While these uses don’t appear on price charts immediately, they lay the foundation for future demand.

Aljarrah also notes that XRP handles billions in on-chain transactions with very low fees. This surpasses traditional systems like SWIFT in speed, cost, and reliability — even though its price has remained around $2.

Why a High Price May Be Necessary for Decoupling

Aljarrah often highlights the math behind global liquidity to explain why XRP eventually needs to rise to much higher price levels. Global settlement markets, including FX, derivatives, tokenized assets, and cross-border flows, are worth trillions. XRP’s limited supply could push its price higher as its full utility is realized.

Moreover, XRP can be divided into 1,000,000 drops, keeping transactions affordable even at high prices. Institutions can settle payments in fractions of tokens, making liquidity more efficient.

For example, Ripple CTO David Schwartz explained that it takes 1 million XRP tokens to process a $1 million transaction if the price is $1. If XRP’s price were $10,000, only 100 tokens would be needed for the same $1 million transaction. 

Accordingly, at higher prices, the ecosystem achieves higher valuation and efficiency, capable of processing transactions worth trillions of dollars.

This is why Aljarrah continues to maintain that XRP could reach $10,000 or more, describing it as “programmed” to do so.

Essentially, XRP proponents argue that, unlike Bitcoin—which gains value mainly from scarcity—XRP’s value comes from its practical use. This is why supporters believe it will follow its own growth path.

Community Views on XRP Decoupling

Community reactions to Aljarrah’s comments show growing optimism that XRP is approaching a major turning point. X user Adam Smith-2.0 said that XRP’s decoupling from other crypto is no longer a gamble like it was five years ago. 

Another user, Mark, noted that decoupling is already happening. He pointed out that XRP held up better than Bitcoin last week while most large-cap assets fell significantly.

Jay Sutton added that XRP needs to break free from “the Bitcoin poison,” saying Bitcoin shouldn’t be the “center of gravity” for the crypto market.

Screenshot 2025 12 02 at 110355 am
XRP community reactions

An analyst previously argued that “suppressed utility doesn’t trickle upward; it reprices violently”. This echoes Aljarrah’s view that XRP’s shift will start slowly, build quietly, and then suddenly surge.

While the exact timing is unclear, supporters believe that once institutional settlement and global liquidity demand drive XRP’s value, it will stop following broader crypto trends.

Cryptomixer Shut Down as European Authorities Seize $29 Million in Bitcoin

0

European authorities have dismantled Cryptomixer, a Bitcoin mixing service suspected of facilitating large-scale money laundering.

The coordinated operation was led by Europol and carried out in Zurich, highlighting Europe’s ongoing effort to combat crypto-enabled financial crime.

Four-Day Operation Targets Core Infrastructure

The takedown, conducted from November 24 to 28, brought together Swiss and German police in a joint enforcement effort. Investigators focused on crippling the service’s core infrastructure, targeting its most critical components. Consequently, they seized three servers, over $29 million in Bitcoin, the cryptomixer.io domain, and more than 12 terabytes of data.

According to Europol, these assets underpinned a service that had facilitated high-volume illicit Bitcoin flows for years.

Alleged Laundering of Over $1.4 Billion Since 2016

Authorities allege that Cryptomixer processed over $1.4 billion in Bitcoin since 2016, much of it linked to serious criminal activity. Funds tied to drug trafficking, weapons sales, ransomware attacks, and payment-card fraud were reportedly routed through the platform.

Investigators note that Cryptomixer’s appeal lies in its slow settlement times and randomized output patterns. Collectively, these features reduce traceability and attract users who wish to obscure their transactions.

Why Crypto Mixers Remain a Tool for Criminals

Crypto mixers pool funds from multiple users and then redistribute them in smaller, irregular amounts, thereby obscuring the visible connection between any given sender and recipient.

Although operators often frame these tools as legitimate privacy solutions, investigators caution that they carry significant risks. In fact, mixers are frequently exploited by dark‑web marketplaces, ransomware groups, and other cybercriminal networks.

By breaking the on‑chain trail, mixers allow illicit actors to move assets with greater freedom. Subsequently, once mixed, funds can be routed back into exchanges or converted into other digital or fiat currencies with substantially reduced scrutiny.

Europol Provided Forensic Support

Europol played a key role in the operation, providing forensic analysis and international coordination to assist investigators in reconstructing transaction patterns and operational data.

The agency described this takedown as a continuation of its broader strategy to target laundering tools, following its involvement in the 2023 shutdown of ChipMixer, another major service implicated in masking large criminal flows.

Part of a Wider European Clampdown

The Cryptomixer seizure is the latest in a series of coordinated operations targeting crypto-enabled crime across Europe.

Earlier this month, law enforcement authorities in Cyprus, Spain, and Germany, in coordination with Eurojust, apprehended nine individuals. These individuals are alleged to have operated a crypto-laundering network that defrauded victims of $689 million.

Last month, Europol also seized $330,000 in digital assets and arrested seven people linked to a cybercrime-as-a-service group based in Latvia.

Expert Calls XRP to $4 “Easy”: Here’s Why

0

A widely followed crypto trader believes that XRP could easily soar to a new all-time high, providing historical context for this projected run.

Specifically, Don shared this perspective in an X post, suggesting that XRP would defy current bearish trends. Although XRP has shown strength by holding above the $2 support, it has retraced by 7% and 20% in the past seven and 30 days, respectively.

Accumulation Before Breakout

Supporting Don’s claim of an imminent rally to new all-time highs is a bullish formation on the XRP/USD daily chart. The shared chart shows an accumulation within a descending channel, a price action with historically bullish consequences for the token.

XRP Trend Within Descending Channel
XRP Trend Within Descending Channel

XRP entered this channel after its yearly high of $3.67 in July and has since made lower highs and lower lows. Despite multiple periods of fake breakouts, like the $2.72 low in August and the October 10 short-lived crash to $0.77 on Binance, XRP has held above the wedge’s lower support.

Meanwhile, after a rejection at the channel’s mid-range at $2.27 a few days back, XRP seems headed to retest the lower support boundary again. However, Don views this as part of a broader bullish picture. This is because this trend has happened before and preceded a strong rally for the fourth-largest cryptocurrency by market cap.

History Provides Bullish Context for an XRP Rally

For perspective, XRP traded in a similar channel from January to early July before a push to the yearly high. After peaking at $3.40 in January, following an over 400% soar in November and a milder 6% growth in December, the cryptocurrency entered a correctional phase.

XRP trended within the descending channel in a manner similar to its current trend before finally breaking out in early July. After closing near the resistance neckline on July 8, a 4% rally the next day saw it break out of the structure, with the six-month suppressed momentum pushing XRP from $2.31 to $3.67 in a matter of days.

Don is predicting similar price action to a new ATH of $4 when XRP breaks the current channel, calling it an “easy” target. From the current market price of $2.01, this represents a 99% growth.

Meanwhile, XRP to $4 is one of the easiest targets that analysts have predicted. Market veteran CasiTrades shares a similar projection, stating that when XRP’s consolidation period ends, it will rally to $4.5. However, Egrag Crypto expects more, noting that XRP won’t stop at $4 but will extend its uptick to $27 per coin.

Here’s What 5,000 XRP Could Be Worth If Global Crypto Market Cap Reaches $100 Trillion

0

How much would the worth of 5,000 XRP tokens grow to if XRP maintains its dominance and the global crypto market cap hits $100 trillion?

The global crypto market has continued to grow since Bitcoin (BTC), the original cryptocurrency, debuted in 2009. What started as a small movement has ballooned into a multi-trillion-dollar market, and most industry experts believe it is still in its infancy.

Growth of the Crypto Market

Over the past decade alone, the broader crypto market has added trillions. Specifically, data from TradingView indicates that at the start of December 2015, the global crypto market had a valuation of just $5.66 billion, with Bitcoin accounting for up to 99% of this figure. 

Today, the global crypto market cap stands at $2.85 trillion. Despite the recent struggles, which have triggered a 28% decline over the past two months, the current figure represents an impressive increase from a decade ago. However, today, Bitcoin’s dominance in the market has dropped to 59%, down from the 99% recorded a decade ago.

This is largely due to the rise of altcoins such as Ethereum (ETH) and XRP, which have taken up a large chunk of the global crypto market. As a result, if these altcoins maintain their market share when some of the lofty projections for the market play out, their prices could spike considerably.

Global Crypto Market Could Hit $100T

Amid these projections, the $100 trillion figure has emerged multiple times. For instance, three months back, Raoul Pal, founder of Global Macro Investor, suggested that the global crypto market cap could hit $100 trillion by 2032/2034. Meanwhile, Julien Bittel, Global Macro Investor’s Macro Research Head, presented a similar forecast in June 2025. 

Interestingly, Strategy Chairman Michael Saylor appears to be more bullish than most. Specifically, while speaking with CNBC’s Squawk Box in November 2021, Saylor projected that Bitcoin could balloon into a $100 trillion asset, potentially surpassing gold. However, the most popular prediction from other experts is that this could be the value of the entire crypto market.

XRP Price if Global Crypto Market Cap Hits $100T

If the global crypto market does hit $100 trillion, XRP could benefit immensely if it maintains its current market share. Notably, XRP currently has a market dominance of 4.223%, as its market cap sits at $120.34 billion. This dominance is a massive drop from the 31% peak market share XRP had in May 2017.

Nonetheless, despite the lower dominance rate today, XRP still trades far higher than its May 2017 price due to the higher global crypto market cap. In addition, if the broader crypto market cap soared further to the $100 trillion level and XRP held its 4.223% dominance, XRP’s market cap would surge to $4.233 trillion.

Given the circulating supply of 60.25 billion, a market cap of $4.233 trillion for XRP would imply a price of $70 per token. Such a valuation represents a 3,400% increase from the current price of $2. 

Worth of 5,000 XRP Tokens

Notably, this would have far-reaching effects on investor holdings, especially retail. Data from the XRP Rich List shows that there are 596,263 wallets holding between 1,000 and 5,000 XRP tokens. Today, the 5,000 XRP is currently worth $10,000. If XRP ever soared to a price of $70 per token, these 5,000 XRP tokens would grow to $350,000, representing profits of around $340,000.

Cardano Founder Says 99% of Cryptos Fail, ADA and XRP Stand Out as Decade-Long Survivors

0

Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson has highlighted the harsh realities of the crypto industry.

He noted that 99% of tokens have failed, leaving only a few survivors, such as ADA, XRP, and Ethereum. He issued this candid reminder during a weekend livestream, as the broader market continues to grapple with a prolonged downturn that has driven prices lower.

As investors hope for a recovery, Hoskinson delivered a sobering assessment, noting that most cryptocurrencies have collapsed. Indeed, rug pulls, major hacks, and insider fraud have collectively wiped out billions of dollars in investor funds.

ADA and XRP Among Few Survivors

Despite this wave of failures, he emphasized that Cardano is among a select group of long-lasting projects alongside XRP and Ethereum. These projects have not only endured for years but have also matured into influential networks with substantial valuations.

He noted that each of these tokens now carries a market value above $10 billion. This underscores the resilience and staying power of ADA, XRP, and ETH in a sector often dominated by hype cycles, short-lived trends, and abandoned experiments.

While Hoskinson grouped ADA, XRP, and ETH as projects that have survived the past decade with valuations above $10 billion, it is important to clarify that ADA itself is not yet a decade old. Cardano launched in 2017, whereas XRP dates back to 2012 and Ethereum to 2015.

Current Valuations

Even as cryptocurrencies have experienced significant downturns, Cardano’s market cap still stood at $13.90 billion, with ADA trading at $0.3871. This valuation positions Cardano among the top 10 crypto assets. However, ADA’s market cap remains significantly lower than that of XRP and ETH, which are at approximately $120.81 billion and $337.51 billion, respectively.

In addition to XRP and Ethereum, a few other cryptos also meet this criterion. Tokens such as Bitcoin, Dogecoin, and Bitcoin Cash have all existed for more than a decade and maintain valuations above $10 billion.

Here’s Shiba Inu Immediate Support as SHIB Burn Activity Spikes 1,706%

Shiba Inu nears short-term support despite a 1,706% spike in SHIB burn rate. What is happening?

Shiba Inu (SHIB) is trading slightly softer today, changing hands around $0.000007924, having dropped about 0.7% over the past 24 hours. Intraday action has been tightly capped inside a $0.000007867–$0.000008042 daily range, signaling consolidation rather than a decisive trend. 

Zooming out, SHIB has slipped roughly 3.9% over the last 7 days and about 9.0% across the past 14 days, confirming a short-term downward bias but with losses narrowing compared with earlier in the month.

This mix of compressed daily volatility and gradual two-week drawdown sets the stage for the next directional move once buyers or sellers break the current range. Can bulls defend this zone, or will sellers push SHIB to fresh lows?

Shiba Inu Price Analysis 

Looking at the technicals, the daily chart shows Shiba Inu locked in a downtrend from the early-November swing high near $0.00001034, with price now trading around $0.0000079. The Auto Fibonacci retracement levels drawn from that $0.00001034 high to the recent low at $0.00000756 clearly map out SHIB’s key levels. 

Shiba Inu 1D Chart
Shiba Inu 1D Chart

Notably, immediate resistance sits at the 0.236 Fib near $0.00000821, a zone where recent bounces have stalled. Above that, additional resistance is clustered around the 0.382 level at roughly $0.00000862, followed by the 0.5 retracement near $0.00000895 and the 0.618 level around $0.00000928, each step marking potential supply zones if buyers can force a recovery.

On the downside, the red zone around the 0 Fib at $0.00000756 is acting as primary support; a daily close below this floor would confirm fresh downside extension. 

The Chande Momentum Oscillator (9) is hovering just above neutral at about 2.8, with declining momentum and suggesting that, for now, SHIB is trying to stabilize near support rather than launching a strong trend reversal.

SHIB Burn Activity Spikes 1,706%

Elsewhere, on-chain supply data shows that Shiba Inu’s tokenomics remain firmly deflationary even as price trades sideways.

Out of a max total supply of 999.98 trillion SHIB, more than 410.75 trillion tokens have already been burned. The current total supply stands at about 589.25 trillion SHIB, with 585.27 trillion in circulation and around 3.98 trillion SHIB locked in xSHIB staking.

Shibburn
Shibburn

Burn activity has also spiked sharply in the short term. The dashboard shows a burn rate up 1,706.64% over the last 24 hours, with about 35.37 million SHIB destroyed in the past day. Recent transactions include several large burns, such as a 30.6 million SHIB transfer about 18 hours ago and another 4 million SHIB burned seven hours ago, alongside a stream of smaller transactions. 

Analyst Shares Next Key Support for Shiba Inu Amid Breakdown

0

Recent analysis has identified the next possible price target for Shiba Inu if the current bearish trend persists.

Shiba Inu (SHIB) has steadily declined for most of the year, joining a broader market underperformance. The second-largest meme coin by market cap is down 62% since January 1, and its 22% correction in the past 30 days has stoked further uncertainty.

Key Support Amid Breakdown

Notably, a TradingView analysis from “EhsanZeydabadi” has identified the next bearish target for the meme coin. He acknowledged the prevailing bearishness, even as Shiba Inu breaks below another support area.

At the time of his analysis, SHIB traded around $0.0000085, as earlier bullish momentum lost steam. The token recovered from around $0.0000075 on November 22 to a high of $0.0000091 six days later. However, bears took over proceedings again, driving prices downwards.

Amid this downtrend, SHIB fell below two key support areas highlighted in the analyst’s chart. Specifically, it dropped beneath the demand zones at $0.00000840 and $0.00000810, two notable areas he highlighted that could trigger further downside if they fail to hold.

With the support now desecrated, he identified the next key support to watch. In particular, his Shiba Inu analysis predicted further downside to the local support at $0.00000680, marking a 14% correction from the current price of $0.00000792.

Shiba Inu Analysis
Shiba Inu Analysis

Bullish Prospects Remain for Shiba Inu?

Notably, the analysis also suggested that Shiba Inu could see higher prices if it held above key support levels. While SHIB has fallen below the $0.00000810 demand zone, a quick reclaim could also turn things around.

The analyst highlighted a rally to $0.0000090 as confirmation of the bullish potential, a price level 13% above the current market price. Reclaiming this critical resistance level would pave the way for a rally towards $0.00001130, representing a 42.6% increase.

Remarkably, an earlier analysis suggested this could be just the start for Shiba Inu. The parallel commentary from Bitcoinsensus views the $0.00001130 as the starting point for the meme coin, as it currently trades within a falling wedge.

He predicted that a break to the price level would confirm a breakout to $0.000014 and possibly to December 2024’s peak of $0.00003343.

Model Shows XRP Price Could Hit $600 at 1 Elasticity if ETFs Absorb 74.5M XRP Daily

0

A recent pricing model suggests that the XRP price could reach an ambitious three-digit level at high elasticity if ETFs absorb over 74 million tokens a day.

Notably, the introduction of spot XRP ETFs has triggered confidence among investors, who now watch closely to see how these products might impact XRP’s price once the broader market turns bullish and the funds gain real traction.

XRP ETFs Recording Early Successes

Interestingly, the increased confidence comes from the successes these funds have recorded within two weeks. Specifically, in just 12 trading sessions, the four spot XRP ETFs have brought in a combined $756.26 million, surpassing their Solana counterparts, which have been trading for 24 days. 

Of the $756.26 million, the XRP ETFs added $89.65 million on Dec. 1 alone, the latest intraday performance. Notably, due to the previous week’s inflows, the ETFs helped XRP record its largest weekly inflow into investment products so far, with $289 million coming in the previous week. 

XRP Price at Different Elasticity Levels

These numbers have encouraged investors, who now assess how steady ETF accumulation could influence long-term price behavior. For instance, investor Mohamed Bangura presented a price-path sensitivity model to show how the XRP price might react if ETFs buy 74.5 million XRP every day. 

At today’s prices, this level of demand equals about $149 million daily. He based the model on an estimated exchange supply of 2.7 billion XRP and included an additional 300 million XRP released from escrow every 30 days. He then applied elasticity levels of 0.2, 0.5, and 1.0 across a 180-day timeline to see how each setting changes the price reaction. 

According to him, low elasticity causes exchanges to run low quickly, while high elasticity creates sharp price jumps and pushes some of the demand toward over-the-counter markets.

Specifically, in the 0.2 elasticity scenario, the model shows XRP rising from roughly $2 to about $3 within the first month. It then climbs toward $7 within 45 days and stays near that level for the rest of the period, with brief dips that still hold slightly above $3. 

XRP Price at 0.2 Elasticity
XRP Price at 0.2 Elasticity

Meanwhile, at 0.5 elasticity, XRP moves faster, reaching about $5 after a month and crossing $35 within 41 days. It then holds near $35 through the 180 days, with short declines that stay just above $5. 

XRP Price at 0.5 Elasticity
XRP Price at 0.5 Elasticity

Interestingly, the model shows the strongest reaction at an elasticity of 1. In this case, XRP surges to roughly $600 within 45 days and remains near that range for the rest of the projection, aside from temporary drops toward the $20 area.

XRP Price at 1 Elasticity
XRP Price at 1 Elasticity

How Elasticity Impacts Price Reaction

For the uninitiated, elasticity describes how strongly a price reacts to steady buying pressure compared to the liquidity available on exchanges. When elasticity sits at the lower end, the market will soak up heavy buy orders without dramatic price changes. 

In this case, the price will rise slowly, but exchange balances could shrink quickly because buying continues while price adjustment remains mild. Notably, markets with deeper liquidity and slower price movements often behave this way. 

However, when elasticity rises, even small gaps between buyers and sellers could create rapid price acceleration. For context, thinner liquidity or faster-moving order books usually produce this type of reaction, which can lead to sharp spikes when constant demand overwhelms supply.

Pundit Opens Short XRP Trade: Here’s His Downward Target

0

Amid the ongoing market struggles, a market pundit and Chainlink advocate has opened a short XRP trade, expecting an over 20% drop.

This bearish commentary came from Quinten Francois, co-founder of review platform weRate, at a time when XRP and the rest of the market are facing renewed pressure. Specifically, XRP has dropped 8.38% over the past three days, now trading at the delicate position of $2.02 as the bears attempt to push below $2.

Pundit Opens XRP Short

However, despite the ongoing downtrend, XRP appears to have held up much better than the rest of the crypto market. For context, XRP has dropped 3.14% this year, but the global crypto market has witnessed a more substantial 8.49% decline within the same period, with Bitcoin down 6.79% and Ethereum seeing a 15.8% crash.

Nonetheless, Francois, a vocal XRP critic, believes XRP is in a position that could lead to steeper declines from the current price. Accordingly, this led to him opening a short position on XRP, with the entry at $2.29. As XRP currently changes hands around $2.02, Francois is already seeing some profit on his short position.

 

However, the market pundit believes XRP could drop further. Specifically, he expects XRP to collapse to $1.6, where he plans to take profit, representing a 20.7% drop from the current price and a more substantial 30% collapse from his entry price of $2.29. 

Reasons Behind the Short Position

Notably, Francois identified three reasons he singled out XRP for this bearish commentary and believes the further crash to $1.6 could play out. Highlighting the first reason, he pointed out that XRP faced a massive rejection from the golden zone. 

For the uninitiated, the “golden zone” describes the area between the 50% and 61.8% Fibonacci retracement levels, which traders often watch for meaningful reactions during a pullback. 

XRP Chart Quinten Francois
XRP Chart | Quinten Francois

When an asset climbs back into this zone but fails to break through and turns lower, it signals that the retracement has stalled and the prevailing trend is likely re-asserting itself. After XRP recovered to the $2.21 peak on Nov. 30, it faced resistance and has since continued to collapse.

For the second reason behind his bearish sentiments, Francois called attention to a bearish divergence on the MACD. This bearish divergence typically occurs when the price makes higher highs within a particular timeframe while the MACD makes lower highs, indicating weakening momentum.

Meanwhile, the third reason is a series of lower highs that XRP has continued to record within the timeframe in question. Specifically, since hitting a high of $2.27 on Nov. 28, XRP has witnessed lower highs. These include $2.22 on Nov. 29, $2.15 on Nov. 30, and then $2.16 on Dec. 1. This points to weakening resilience from the bulls.

However, whether XRP would drop to Francois’s $1.6 target remains uncertain. For perspective, the last time XRP saw that low, besides the Oct. 10 crash, was in April 2025, eight months ago.