Price Drops While Conversation Heats Up
XRP hasn’t given holders much to celebrate lately. The token has dropped roughly 29% since
mid-January, wiping out most of last year’s gains and leaving bulls scrambling to defend
the $1.40 to $1.45 support zone. Momentum indicators on the longer timeframes are pointing
downward, and open interest on major derivatives platforms has fallen by double digits—a
clear sign that traders have been closing their long positions. Normally, this kind of
retreat signals waning interest across the board. But something unusual is happening. A
fresh sentiment report from Grayscale shows XRP ranking second only to Bitcoin in terms of
advisor and retail attention. When price action moves one direction and conversation volume
moves the other, something usually has to give.
What’s Driving the Interest Despite the Sell-Off
Grayscale surveyed hundreds of U.S. financial advisors and discovered that more than
two-thirds had been asked about XRP in the last quarter. That’s up dramatically from just
24% a year ago. Some of this stems from the SEC v. Ripple case—the December court order
that scheduled settlement discussions for late March has people wondering if years of legal
uncertainty might finally be coming to an end. But the interest goes deeper than courtroom
drama. On-chain data from Santiment shows that wallets tied to funds, exchanges, and
deep-pocketed investors have accumulated around 110 million XRP over the past month.
Similar whale accumulation patterns preceded bottoms back in 2020 and 2022. The wildcard
this time is broader crypto market liquidity. If Bitcoin volatility picks up, capital
sitting on the sidelines could flow into assets that look like they have a specific
catalyst waiting in the wings. Right now, XRP fits that description better than most.
Why Financial Advisors Are Paying Attention Now
The financial planners we spoke with offered two straightforward explanations. First, XRP’s
position as a large-cap that’s been underperforming makes it an easy recommendation for
clients who feel like they’ve already missed Bitcoin’s recent run. Second, ongoing payment
system trials by banks in Japan, Singapore, and the Middle East keep XRP in the news feeds
that advisors monitor for compliance and client education. In other words, the token is
checking several boxes at once—cross-border payment utility, possible regulatory resolution,
and an established user base. Whether that narrative actually translates into sustained
buying pressure depends entirely on what happens at the key technical levels.
The Price Levels Everyone Is Watching
The $1.45 level is the line in the sand. A daily close below $1.40 would confirm a bearish
pattern and open the door for a faster drop toward the $1.11 to $1.15 range—an area that
saw heavy trading during November’s breakout. On the flip side, if XRP can stay above $1.45
through the end of the week, it keeps a bullish divergence alive on both the four-hour RSI
and MACD indicators. Hold that floor, and traders will be watching $1.60 as the first
resistance level. Breaking above that on solid volume could trigger momentum algorithms that
target the $1.85 to $1.95 zone left unfilled during January’s sharp sell-off. For now,
disciplined traders seem to be waiting for a daily close above $1.50 before adding to
positions—that would mark the first higher high since this correction started, and signal
that the worst might be over.
