XRP Nears Critical Support Amid Market-Wide Crypto Decline

The cryptocurrency market experienced a broad-based decline, with Bitcoin leading the downturn and triggering a cascade of liquidations across altcoins. XRP was caught in the crossfire, falling more than 5% in the last 24 hours to trade around $1.77 at the time of reporting. Over the past week, the token’s losses have exceeded 7%, with its daily trading range compressed between $1.73 and $1.87. This slide marks XRP’s weakest price point since early October, when it briefly traded below $1.60.

The sell-off was exacerbated by significant leverage unwinding in the derivatives market. Futures data reveals that nearly $71 million worth of XRP long positions were liquidated during the decline. This forced selling added substantial downward pressure on the spot price, accelerating the token’s descent toward key technical support levels that traders are now watching with heightened anxiety.

Technical analysts are scrutinizing the charts for clues on XRP’s next move, with opinions diverging on the immediate outlook. Analyst ChartNerd suggested that XRP may be forming a Wyckoff “Spring” pattern, a technical setup that could foreshadow a short-term recovery—but only if current support holds firm. The caveat, however, is severe. “The $1.50 target is popping up on many of my short-term bearish fractals,” ChartNerd warned. “Stay below $1.80, and that validity increases.” This establishes the $1.80 level as a critical line in the sand.

Conversely, analyst BitGuru offered a more tempered view, noting that XRP is resting on a historical base after a prolonged slide—an area where buyers have returned in the past. “Holding this zone could open room for a recovery toward prior resistance,” BitGuru shared. Should a recovery materialize, past consolidation zones between $2.20 and $2.50 are identified as likely initial targets. For now, the consensus is that XRP is at a decision point, with the battle between bulls and bulls concentrated around the $1.80 mark.

The $1.50 level looms as the next major support if the current zone fails. This price point, untested since October, represents a significant technical and psychological threshold on multiple charts. A break below it would signal a deeper correction and likely trigger another wave of defensive selling from traders and investors.

Amid the price volatility and speculative chatter, Ripple’s former Chief Technology Officer, David Schwartz, addressed rampant social media claims projecting XRP prices of $50 or $100. When prompted to dismiss the rumors, Schwartz declined to give exact predictions but urged the community to apply logic when assessing such monumental price targets. He recalled his own past skepticism, having once doubted XRP would ever reach $0.25—a level it has since far surpassed—illustrating the inherent difficulty of long-term price forecasting.

Nevertheless, Schwartz explicitly warned against following viral claims without reasoned analysis. His comments serve as a reminder of the disconnect that can exist between market hype, driven by social media narratives, and the grounded technical and fundamental realities that typically govern asset price action, especially during periods of heightened stress and uncertainty like the current market decline.