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PEPE is finally entering a critical phase as recent price action suggests the market is actively pushing out bears ahead of a potential structural shift. Pseudonymous crypto analyst ‘The Composite Trader’ argues that the move is less about immediate upside and more about completing a controlled reversal process and preventing any further downside.  In an X post this Tuesday, The Composite Trader updated a setup he first outlined on January 5, explaining that PEPE’s sharp bullish expansion at the start of the year was never meant to be sustained. He labeled the move as manipulative and stated that a price reversal toward a yearly open was the intended outcome.  PEPE Stages Reversal Move To Force Out Bears His accompanying chart supports this narrative by illustrating a brutal downtrend that began in late 2025, with PEPE plummeting nearly 50% before following a descending curved channel. The analyst highlighted a Break of Structure (BOS) at a lower level in the pattern, followed by a short-lived rally into the $0.0065-$0.0075 region. This upward move was explicitly labeled “manipulation” on the chart, pushed higher to hunt for buy-side liquidity, with no real demand to sustain higher prices.  Related Reading: Why Meme Coins Like PEPE And FARTCOIN Are Ready To Explode According to the analyst, PEPE’s ongoing reversal process is designed to force out current bearish positions before any confirmed trend change. The chart shows that the meme coin has already corrected by roughly 33.21%, wiping out some of the gains it achieved earlier this year. This move aligns closely with The Composite Trader’s earlier expectation that the yearly open would be challenged, confirming the market’s downward momentum.    The analyst also noted that similar price patterns are emerging across other altcoin pairs, reflecting the broader impact of whale-driven movements. He has emphasized the importance of understanding the timing behind these reversals, suggesting that not every price shift signals a sustainable uptrend.  Furthermore, the Composite Trader has said that accumulation schematics and bullish reversals for PEPE will be confirmed when the time is right. Until then, the market remains bearish with strategic price corrections, requiring patience from investors and traders.  Analyst Predicts More Decline For PEPE Price Crypto analyst Davie Satoshi has also shared insights on PEPE’s price behavior and its potential next moves. He predicts that PEPE could decline even further if Bitcoin crashes to $85,000 and $75,000. Based on his analysis, PEPE’s price movement is now closely tied to BTC, and the lower Bitcoin goes, the more likely PEPE will follow. Related Reading: PEPE Price Prediction: The Level That Will Send The Meme Coin To The Stratosphere Excluding PEPE, Satoshi forecasts that all meme coins could enter a downtrend if Bitcoin declines. Despite this bearish outlook, he believes PEPE will likely rebound and move back up. The analyst expects the meme coin to reverse sharply and find new support levels. He advises non-PEPE holders to take advantage of the current downtrend by buying the dip. Featured image from Medium, chart from Tradingview.com

Crypto analyst Dom has commented on the current XRP price action, revealing what the triple tap at $1.80 means for the altcoin. This comes as XRP sheds most of its gains from the start of the year amid the recent crypto market crash.  XRP Price Reaches Major Support With Triple Tap At $1.80 In an X post, Dom stated that there is a triple tap in the $1.80 zone, which is the last possible expression of a bottoming structure for the XRP price. The analyst warned that any further moves to the downside are likely to trigger a breakdown for the altcoin. He added that regaining $2.05 is the goal for bulls to put the chart back in a “safe zone.” Related Reading: XRP Bullish Divergence Shows The Next Direction That Price Is Headed In This analyst comes amid the XRP price crash below the psychological $2 level. The altcoin has crashed alongside the broader crypto market, losing most of its yearly gains in the process. This comes on the back of the latest Trump tariffs on eight European nations, which have sparked bearish sentiment in the market.  Commenting on the 30% rally for the XRP price earlier in the month, Dom reiterated that it was a weak move. He noted that the order flow analysis showed no strong buyer support and that the push was possible due to low liquidity. On-chain analytics platform Glassnode also recently commented on the current price action, noting that the current market structure for XRP closely resembles that of February 2022.  Glassnode stated that investors active over the 1-week to 1-month window are now accumulating below the cost basis of the 6-month to 12-month cohort. They added that as this structure persists, psychological pressure on top buyers continues to build over time.  XRP’s Structure Still Intact  In an X post, crypto analyst Egrag Crypto stated that the XRP price structure remains intact, with the upper resistance at between $3.40 and $3.60. Meanwhile, the lower support is between $1.85 and $1.95, and the price is currently near the range lows. The analyst also noted that the 21 EMA is sloping down and acting as resistance, with the price still below it, suggesting weak short-term momentum.  Related Reading: XRP Price Could Surge Another 30% If This Trend Is Confirmed As for what could happen next, Egrag Crypto predicted a liquidity sweep rather than a confirmed breakdown in the XRP price. He explained that a wick below $1.85 is a normal liquidity behavior within a range. However, a weekly close below this level could signal structural failure and increase cycle risk.  Until that happens, Egrag Crypto noted that the XRP price is still ranging, holding structure, not broken, and not in macro failure. He added that his stance remains unchanged as he is still bullish and holding as long as the structure remains valid.  At the time of writing, the XRP price is trading at around $1.90, down over 3% in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap. Featured image from Peakpx, chart from Tradingview.com

Trove Markets’ new token collapsed almost immediately after trading began, wiping out the vast majority of early gains and leaving many backers angry and confused. The drop was brutal. Traders who bought early watched their holdings shrink by about 95% in a matter of hours. Related Reading: Bitcoin Bulls Fired Up As Saylor Teases ‘Bigger Orange’ After Huge Buy Token Price Plunges After Launch Initial prices implied a market value near $20 million. Based on reports, the token fell to roughly $0.0008 per unit, trimming the market cap to below $1–2 million. Some wallets unloaded huge chunks of coins right after the token generation event. That selling pressure coincided with a flood of posts on social platforms calling the launch a rug pull. Trove Had Raised Millions Before The Fall According to reports, the project raised roughly $11.5 million in its public sale. The Trove team announced it would keep about $9.4 million to fund further work and pay for a switch of blockchains. Refunds totaling about $2.44 million were returned to some investors, and another $100,000 was earmarked for additional reimbursements. The numbers left many buyers feeling shortchanged and asking why a large share of the money stayed with the team. Team Keeps Majority Of Funds On-chain analysts and tracing tools flagged unusual transfers tied to a handful of new accounts. Reports note that a meaningful slice of the token supply moved into one cluster of wallets, and some transfers were routed through services like ChangeHero. That activity raised questions about whether all token allocations were handled openly. Legal calls and demands for public audits followed soon after. Investors reacted quickly. Some demanded full refunds. Others threatened legal steps. Community moderators and influencers amplified complaints and demanded clear timelines for fixes. We’re pivoting Trove to Solana. After recent sentiment around Trove, the liquidity partner that had been supporting our Hyperliquid path chose to unwind their 500k $HYPE position. That was their decision and we fully respect it. This changes our constraints: we’re no longer… — unwise (@unwisecap) January 18, 2026 Trove posted updates, saying a partner had pulled out and that the pivot to Solana was necessary to keep the project alive. The team promised to continue building and to be more open about their choices, while pledging to deliver a working platform that might justify holding the funds. https://t.co/sc8b59sjYE — TROVE (@TroveMarkets) January 19, 2026 Related Reading: Bitcoin Senses Risk As Trump Balks At Europe With Major Tariffs Trust Hinges On Delivery And Transparency What happens next will matter more than the words now being exchanged. If the team can show tangible progress on the exchange and create real trading depth, some anger may fade. If not, the episode could be used as a warning: token sales that change terms late in the process can trigger swift market punishment and reputational damage. Regulatory scrutiny could also increase if large sums are held after a collapse like this. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

XRP’s next big rise could come with hardly any warning, traders and analysts warn. Markets are quiet now. That quiet has happened before, and it has sometimes been followed by sharp moves that catch most people off guard. Related Reading: Bitcoin Senses Risk As Trump Balks At Europe With Major Tariffs History Of Sudden Moves According to several community analysts, XRP has a pattern of long quiet periods followed by fast spikes. It rarely creeps steadily upward for weeks before a charge. Instead, price often treads water, people lose faith, and then momentum arrives quickly. That behavior has left many short-term traders on the sidelines when runs happen. A move looks obvious only after it is already well under way. Legal Overhang Gone Reports say the SEC lawsuit changed XRP’s timing for years. While other tokens took part in big market swings, XRP traded under heavy regulatory pressure. That pressure is now removed. The major $XRP breakout will come when many least expect it. Its always a “catch-off-guard” move.. but we’re prepared. — ???????? ChartNerd ???? (@ChartNerdTA) January 17, 2026 The market has since been allowed to price XRP without that cloud. In late 2024, a notable rally began after US President Donald Trump’s win and the exit of SEC Chair Gary Gensler. Momentum pushed XRP from roughly $0.50 to above $3 in a matter of weeks. But the gains were followed by a long reset. Exposure Beats Perfect Timing According to a number of commentators, being already invested matters more than hitting the exact bottom. When the price starts to climb fast, buyers who jump in late often pay too much and panic-sell when the heat fades. Early holders tend to capture most of the upside. Reports note this has repeated across multiple cycles. Emotion drives late entry; calm positioning often wins. At the time of writing, XRP was trading near $1.93, down about 4% on the day and roughly 55% below its recent high. Many who bought above $3 over the past year have cut losses or reduced positions, which has left sentiment thin. Related Reading: Bitcoin Shows Signs Of Internal Strength As Analysts Turn More Optimistic On Quick Inflows & Short-Term Squeeze Liquidity in key ranges is lighter than traders might assume. Volume patterns and derivatives flows will matter if price begins to move again. An array of factors could start the run — quick inflows, a shift in macro appetite, or a big buyer showing up. On-chain signs, exchange flows, and futures positioning would give clearer clues, but those signals can flip fast. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

Crypto pundit XRP Queen has described an XRP price target of $10 as being too low, claiming that this target was from a retail investor’s perspective. She also suggested how high the altcoin could go from an institutional standpoint.  Pundit Claims XRP Price Target Of $10 Is Too Low In an X post, XRP Queen stated that people predicting XRP price targets of between $10 and $25 are still thinking of retail price targets. This came as she claimed that Ripple has been thinking about global infrastructures. The pundit highlighted the firm’s moves, including its acquisition of payment and custody infrastructure.  Related Reading: XRP Price Could Surge Another 30% If This Trend Is Confirmed Furthermore, XRP Queen noted that Ripple has integrated with banks, funds, and institutions, which she claimed is positioning the altcoin for real-time global settlement. The pundit also believes that the crypto firm has secured regulatory clarity where it actually matters, which is bullish for the XRP price. Lastly, she mentioned that Ripple is actively pursuing a full banking license, having secured conditional approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC).  XRP Queen declared that Ripple’s moves are how one builds financial plumbing. “Systems don’t move in pennies. They move in orders of magnitude. Lock in,” she added. Regarding how high the XRP price could rise based on institutional targets, XRP Queen suggested the altcoin could reach $100.  In an X post, she stated that people laugh at an XRP price target of $100 because they price it like a meme, but that institutions price the altcoin like infrastructure. As such, she believes the altcoin could reach these price targets based on its utility, especially as it gains traction as a token for real-time global settlement.  Canary Capital CEO Makes Bullish Case For XRP In a YouTube video, crypto pundit Cheeky Crypto highlighted a statement from Canary Capital’s CEO, Steven McClurg, in which he said that an XRP price target of between $5 and $10 may sound like a lot to a retail trader. However, he believes that these price targets are a rounding error when one considers the trillions of dollars in liquidity required to settle global real-world assets (RWAs) at scale.  Related Reading: XRP Wave C Push On The Way: What Could Send Price Below $2? Cheeky Crypto also highlighted McClurg’s statement, in which he said the XRP Ledger is already processing real financial transactions and boasts real-world financial use cases, which he claims are drawing institutions’ attention.  Notably, the Canary Capital CEO had recently predicted that XRP would dominate the RWA industry, which is projected to become a trillion-dollar industry at some point. This could boost the altcoin’s utility as the XRP Ledger processes more RWA transactions, sending the XRP price higher in the process.   At the time of writing, the XRP price is trading at around $1.95, down in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap. Featured image from Pixabay, chart from Tradingview.com

Reports say global exchange-traded products tied to crypto pulled in about $2.2 billion in net inflows during the latest week, a jump that marked the strongest weekly move since October last year. Bitcoin-focused funds took the lion’s share, while Ether and a handful of altcoin products also saw fresh money enter. Related Reading: What’s Driving The $1.42 Billion Comeback In Spot Bitcoin ETFs? Rising Appetite For Bitcoin And Ether According to CoinShares, Bitcoin-led products accounted for most of the inflows, while Ether-linked ETPs grabbed a meaningful slice of new capital as well. Many investors treated these products as an easier way to get exposure to crypto without owning coins directly. The pattern points to growing comfort among big traders and funds with exchange-traded wrappers. Some Flows Came As Prices Moved The uptick in cash into ETPs coincided with a fresh push higher in prices for core tokens. Traders who had been on the sidelines made buys after recent rallies, and funds that track these assets reported higher trading volumes. That increase in trade activity helped push the headline inflow number into view. A few market watchers said the move looked like accumulation by longer-term holders, while others warned that part of the money could be short-term positioning around events and news. Ease Of Access Draws Institutional Money For many institutions, these products are more familiar than direct custody of crypto. Brokers and wealth managers can put them on client platforms with the same tools they use for stocks and bonds. Some banks and advisers have started to offer these ETPs as part of broader portfolios, which has helped open a new tap of capital. That said, differences in rules across countries still shape where the biggest flows land. Where The Money Went And What It Means Bitcoin ETPs were the main beneficiaries, taking most of the $2.2 billion. Ether funds also saw healthy inflows, and a small number of altcoin products attracted fresh cash. Related Reading: Bitcoin Bulls Fired Up As Saylor Teases ‘Bigger Orange’ After Huge Buy The data shows demand is not limited to a single corner of crypto anymore. Instead, investors are spreading bets across the biggest names while a few niche tokens get tested. This could mean more stable demand for core products, even when smaller tokens wobble. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

A worrying pattern has formed in the crypto sector. Reports say that about four in five projects hit by major hacks do not fully recover. Money is lost, yes. But the deeper damage is often to trust — and that can be fatal. Related Reading: Saylor Defends Bitcoin Treasury Firms Amid Rising Criticism Trust Erodes Fast When a breach is found, users pull funds quickly. Partners step back. Liquidity dries up. Industry experts, including Immunefi CEO Mitchell Amador, warn that slow or unclear responses can push entire communities away. Some projects try to fix code quietly. That can fail. Silence is sometimes treated as hiding. Panic spreads. Confidence drops. “Nearly 80% of projects that suffer a hack never fully recover,” Amador pointed out. The primary reason, he said, is not the initial loss of funds, but the “breakdown of operations and trust during the response.” How Teams Respond Can Decide Fate Reports note that incident plans are rare and that the absence of a clear playbook hurts more than the bug itself. A quick, honest update can calm people. A slow, confused reaction makes things worse. In many cases, even after the technical flaw is fixed, the project stays damaged because users left and did not return. Some teams are rebuilt under new names. Others never regain attention. The human side of recovery matters a lot. Amador said many protocols freeze once an exploit comes to light. According to him, teams often underestimate how exposed they are and lack the operational readiness needed to handle a serious security breach. Security Problems Are Changing The attacks are not all the same. Smart contract bugs remain a big cause. But now simple human errors, like leaked keys or social tricks, are also common. Reports say that losses in recent years have grown into the billions, with one figure around $3.4 billion lost in a single year. That number shows the scale of the risk. Community Reaction Shapes Outcomes A project can be technically repaired. But the people who used it may have moved on. Communities are fragile. Some founders try to refund users or set up funds to cover losses. That can help. Other teams decide to close down the service and focus on other work. The decision is sometimes made for them when liquidity vanishes and partners cut ties. Recovery is often not just a technical task; it is a rebuild of trust and reputation. Data from Chainalysis shows the $1.4 billion Bybit hack accounted for almost half of crypto losses in 2025. Related Reading: What’s Driving The $1.42 Billion Comeback In Spot Bitcoin ETFs? Huge Damage Crypto hacks jumped sharply in 2025 as attackers hit both large platforms and private wallets. Based on reports, total losses reached $3.4 billion, the biggest annual figure since 2022. Just three breaches were responsible for nearly 70% of that damage by early December, with the $1.4 billion Bybit exploit standing out as the largest. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

Crypto analyst ChartNerd has raised the possibility of the XRP price recording another 30% surge from its current level. This comes even as the altcoin risks erasing its year-to-date (YTD) gains due to the recent crypto market crash.  How The XRP Price Could Rally To $2.70 In an X post, ChartNerd stated that a potential XRP price rally to $2.70 is a possibility in the near term if the altcoin can hold the Fib support targets and mark a higher low. He highlighted three Fib support levels, including the 0.5 at $2, 0.618 at $1.99, and 0.786 at $1.89. He noted that the $2.70 was the base of the descending triangle, around the area where XRP broke down from following the October 10 crypto crash last year.  Related Reading: XRP Wave C Push On The Way: What Could Send Price Below $2? ChartNerd also explained that the XRP price was currently in a falling wedge breakout pattern and that this typically leads to rallies as high as where the coin had broken down. As such, in this case, XRP could reach the descending triangle resistance at $2.70. The crypto analyst had also highlighted bullish fundamentals that could drive the rally toward this target. This includes Ripple’s alleged ties to South Korea’s tokenized infrastructure and projected major expansion for XRP.  However, it is worth mentioning that the XRP price is also at risk of a further decline amid the latest crypto market crash, led by Bitcoin. BTC has dropped to as low as $92,000 in the last 24 hours, forcing XRP to crash below the psychological $2 level. This crash has occurred on the back of the latest Trump tariffs on some European nations over the U.S. proposed takeover of Greenland. The EU is weighing retaliatory tariffs, which could escalate this into another full-blown trade war.  The Crash Could Be A “Blessing In Disguise” In another X post, ChartNerd suggested that the recent XRP price crash could be a blessing in disguise. This came as the analyst alluded to the $1.80 liquidity pocket on the monthly heatmap. He noted that this latest drawdown has swept the altcoin into that exact sell-side liquidity, a move which ChartNerd described as a clarity response.  ChartNerd also suggested that the XRP price is likely a minor setback rather than a major retracement. He noted that although altcoins are taking hefty hits, Bitcoin hasn’t lost any key structure and that all he sees is “opportunity” until the trendline is invalidated. As such, XRP could see a bounce if BTC successfully defends this trendline.  Related Reading: Analyst Says XRP Price Just Entered Neutral State – What This Means At the time of writing, the XRP price is trading at around $1.96, down over 4% in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap. Featured image from Getty Images, chart from Tradingview.com

A sharp comment from a well-known XRP Ledger developer has sparked fresh debate around savings, inflation, and what smart money looks like today. Related Reading: What’s Driving The $1.42 Billion Comeback In Spot Bitcoin ETFs? Bird, the developer behind the XRPL-based meme coin DROP, drew attention after saying that anyone holding more value in XRP than in their bank account is a “genius.” The word choice was bold, and it quickly spread across social media, pulling in both supporters and critics. Genius Or Gamble In An Inflation Era According to Bird, the label has less to do with bragging rights and more to do with awareness. He argues that many people trust banks by default, assuming savings accounts protect their future. The problem, he says, is math. Savings rates around 4–6% often fail to keep pace with rising prices. Groceries, rent, transport, and healthcare keep climbing. Over time, money sitting still can quietly lose strength. In that light, Bird frames holding XRP as a sign of foresight rather than recklessness. If you have more money in $XRP than in your bank account, you’re a genius. — Bird (@Bird_XRPL) January 11, 2026 Risk Still Has A Price XRP prices can swing hard in short periods, something banks are built to avoid. A savings account may feel boring, but it offers stability and fast access when bills arrive or emergencies hit. That difference matters. Long-term holders respond that XRP was never meant to act like a checking account. It is treated as an asset tied to future payment rails and global transfers, not day-to-day spending money. The “genius” remark, they say, speaks to time horizon, not short-term comfort. Utility Gains After Years Of Pressure XRP spent years weighed down by legal uncertainty while its network continued to expand behind the scenes. With parts of that pressure easing, attention has shifted back to usage. Cross-border payments remain a core focus. Stablecoin activity, including RLUSD, has increased. Tokenization of real-world assets is also being explored on the XRP Ledger. Supporters believe this growing use gives XRP value beyond price charts. “ What’s the right amount of $XRP to hold? “ The truth is… it’s completely subjective. We all live in different countries, have different costs, jobs, savings, families, goals. Some people chase money, some chase freedom. Some need security for health, travel, retirement,… https://t.co/A5g5Oa4f7c — Bird (@Bird_XRPL) January 10, 2026 How Much Is Enough Depends On You Bird has also raised a question that keeps coming up online: what amount of XRP is “right.” Reports note he often mentions 10,000 XRP as a rough reference, not a target. His thinking is simple. If XRP ever trades in double digits, that holding turns into a six-figure sum in US dollars. For some people, that could mean freedom. For others, it might only ease pressure. Living costs, family size, health needs, and location all shape what “enough” really means. Related Reading: Saylor Defends Bitcoin Treasury Firms Amid Rising Criticism Calling someone a genius makes for catchy headlines, but real life sits in the middle. Keeping some money in banks helps cover daily needs. Holding assets like XRP is a bet on future systems and long-term growth. Featured image from Gemini, chart from TradingView

The SUI price struggled to replicate its early-year momentum over the past week despite the general market seeing renewed optimism. The altcoin’s price mostly moved sideways, oscillating between the $1.70 – $1.90 levels. According to a popular analyst on the social media platform X, this slight inactivity might be a bullish signal of what is to come over the next few weeks. Is SUI On The Verge Of A 30% Surge? In a January 18 post on the X platform, crypto analyst Ali Martinez shared an interesting chart setup for the SUI price. According to the market pundit, a break out of the current chart setup could see the altcoin reach the $2.29 level over the coming weeks. Related Reading: Dogecoin RSI Just Entered Historical Oversold Levels Again, Will It Repeat 2021? The rationale behind this positive prediction is the formation of a bull flag pattern on the 4-hour timeframe of the Bitcoin price chart. The bull flag is a technical analysis pattern characterized by a period of steep upward movement (the flagpole) typically followed by sideways or slightly downward price action. Typically, the bull flag functions as a prevailing continuation pattern for an existing upward trend, suggesting a potential move to a higher price point. While this chart is often a bullish signal, it is crucial to wait for a successful breach of the upper boundary of the consolidation range; this increases the odds that the price will continue in its upward trajectory. As shown in the chart above, the price level that needs to be broken to confirm the uptrend continuation lies around the $1.84 mark. Meanwhile, the target for this chart pattern is usually calculated by adding the vertical height of the flagpole to the potential breakout point from the flag. According to Martinez, a sustained break above this level could see the SUI price run up to as $2.29, representing an almost 30% surge from the current price point. SUI Price Overview As of this writing, the price of SUI stands at around $1.78, reflecting a mere 0.9% dip in the past 24 hours. This tame daily action highlights the indecisiveness currently affecting this altcoin market, as the SUI bulls and bears battled for dominance over the past week. According to CoinGecko data, the altcoin’s value is down by 1.7% in the last seven days. However, this past week’s struggles have not been enough to wipe out SUI’s recent success, especially on broader timeframes. For instance, the altcoin’s value has increased by more than 28% on the monthly timeframe. With this positive performance, the token has maintained a position within the top 30 largest cryptocurrencies by market cap. Related Reading: XRP Wave C Push On The Way: What Could Send Price Below $2? Featured image from iStock, chart from TradingView

XRP’s price action is trading just above $2, but technical analysis of mid-term charts shows a more complex corrective structure for what comes next.  According to a technical analysis shared by CasiTrades on X, XRP may still have one more bullish push ahead before the structure turns lower. The chart showing the analysis outlines a developing Elliott Wave sequence that could first lift XRP’s price higher, then open the door to a breakdown if support levels fail. Related Reading: Ethereum On Fire: User Growth Sparks Massive Activity Spike B Wave Dips Hint At Coming Wave C Surge Technical analysis of XRP’s price action on the 1-hour candlestick timeframe chart by CasiTrade proposes an interesting outlook that shows XRP might end up correcting below $2 in the coming days. This correction, however, will only play out after XRP finishes a Wave C move that takes its price above $2.2. The wave C, in turn, is expected to play out after the recent pullback to $2.03 in the past 48 hours. According to CasiTrades, XRP’s recent pullback unfolded as a deeper B wave than initially expected. Instead of forming a tight consolidation, price traced out a full ABC move and fell into the 0.618 Fibonacci retracement around $2.09. This depth, however, does not invalidate the structure. Such a move is consistent with a B wave in the Elliott Wave theory. This retracement coincides with clustered Fibonacci levels and prior intraday support, and the next possible move from here is the next leg higher within the larger Wave 2 structure. Now that the B wave is likely in place, the attention is towards the anticipated C wave push. CasiTrades identifies the golden retracement near $2.26 as the primary upside target, with a possible extension into the $2.28 region where the golden pocket and the 1.236 extension converge. The chart highlights this zone as a dense resistance area, reinforced by prior reaction highs and overlapping Fibonacci projections. This C wave is expected to subdivide into five smaller waves. If this plays out as expected, XRP’s price action should feel bullish through its clean subwave development. However, the way price behaves as it approaches and reacts to the $2.26 to $2.28 band will be critical for confirming the broader outlook and if a correction is next. XRP Price Chart. Source: @CasiTrades on X A Post-C Rejection Could Drag XRP To $1.65 The current focus is on a possible push higher, but there’s still a downside risk after the C wave is complete. The analyst expects a rejection that could become the beginning of a larger Wave 3 move to the downside after XRP reaches the projected levels around $2.26 to $2.28. Related Reading: Ethereum Staking Hits Record Levels As Buterin Urges Builders To Deliver Real Apps If that rejection materializes cleanly, XRP could begin a sustained move lower, with the macro support region around $1.65 coming back into focus. Confirmation of this bearish path, however, depends on how the C subwaves form and whether price delivers a decisive rejection. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

US Senate debate over a bill called the Clarity Act has reignited discussion about XRP and other crypto products, and how they might be treated under US rules. Related Reading: Ethereum Staking Hits Record Levels As Buterin Urges Builders To Deliver Real Apps Reports have disclosed that the bill could give clearer status to tokens that back US-listed ETFs, moving them closer to commodity-style treatment. XRP spot ETFs have also drawn large capital, with inflows reaching about $1.37 billion since their November 2025 launch — a figure that underlines why lawmakers and market watchers are paying attention. How It Works Creation and redemption in ETFs can happen “in kind,” which means the fund can accept the actual asset instead of cash. That mechanism is real, but it does not let ordinary buyers load tokens directly into a fund. Authorized participants — big broker-dealers and market makers — are the ones that hand tokens to ETFs and receive shares back. Everyday investors buy or sell ETF shares on exchanges. That gap is central to the debate about whether an ETF could ever function like a bank. The XRP ETF’s are also In-Kind Funds, so you can deposit XRP directly into the fund in exchange for the exact value in shares. Most in general will choose this option post law. There are many advantages to this, you will be able to use the ETF like a “bank”. https://t.co/2G49kxUpGc pic.twitter.com/4fyeOkEYTC — Chad Steingraber (@ChadSteingraber) January 13, 2026 What Community Voices Are Saying According to posts from XRP community figures, some see a future where ETFs act like a regulated parking spot for token holders. Chad Steingraber has been vocal about in-kind mechanics, arguing that investors could swap XRP for matching ETF shares and treat the funds as a safer place to hold value until they need to move tokens again. Those comments have helped popularize the idea that ETFs could be used in a bank-like way. What Taxes Might Look Like Reports and investor guides show that ETF structure matters for taxes. ETFs often use in-kind creation and redemption to avoid routine capital gains distributions at the fund level, which helps make ETFs tax-efficient in many cases. But tax consequences for token holders depend on how transactions are carried out and on the product’s legal structure. Under current US rules, transfers that change the form of an asset can create taxable events for the person handing over the asset, and fund-level distributions can still produce tax bills for investors. Related Reading: Ethereum On Fire: User Growth Sparks Massive Activity Spike According to Chad Steingraber, the in-kind structure gives XRP holders a regulated place to park their tokens when they want safety and oversight. Investors, Steingraber believes, may favor ETFs once the Clarity Act clarifies rules. The appeal is not the technical steps but the confidence of holding XRP in a regulated, organized product. For him, ETFs offer a safer way to manage tokens while still keeping access to them when needed. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

The Dogecoin Relative Strength Index (RSI) is said to have entered historical oversold levels. This has raised the possibility that the foremost meme coin could repeat its parabolic rally in the 2021 bull cycle.  Dogecoin Eyes Parabolic Rally As RSI Enters Oversold Levels Crypto analyst Cryptollica has indicated that the Dogecoin price could record another parabolic rally as the RSI enters oversold levels. In an X post, the analyst noted that this is the fourth time in 12 years that the DOGE RSI has been this oversold, and that every time this has happened, it has been life-changing.  Related Reading: Dogecoin Price Is Following This Bullish Signal With A Major Target Cryptollica further remarked that the drop in Dogecoin’s RSI to this low has always been an “epic buying opportunity” and that those who loaded up made insane gains. In line with this, the analyst remarked that this is another massive opportunity. Meanwhile, Cryptollica alluded to previous times when the RSI dropped this low, including during the last cycle bottom, when DOGE dropped to $0.5.  Dogecoin rallied to a new all-time high (ATH) of $0.74 after bottoming at $0.05, recording massive gains in the process. Cryptollica noted that these setups don’t come often and urged market participants not to miss this one. His accompanying chart suggested that DOGE could rally to the psychological $1 level this time around, marking a new ATH for the foremost meme coin.  DOGE Mirroring Past Accumulation Pattern In another X post, Cryptollica highlighted a similar DOGE/BTC pattern between the 2014-2017 and 2021-2026 accumulations. The analyst stated that the structure is identical and assured that the bleed against Bitcoin is not “death” but the necessary energy compression before the rotation. Cryptollica added that when the green line breaks, risk appetite changes instantly.  Related Reading: Dogecoin Price On The Brink Of A 9,000% Rally To $10? What Historical Performance Shows Meanwhile, Cryptollica declared that the fractal was loading, with Dogecoin set to be the heartbeat of the altcoin cycle. The analyst claimed that this is the final stage of a multi-year compression against Bitcoin. This historically leads to a specific volatility squeeze that precedes a massive capital rotation from BTC to altcoins.  Crypto analyst Bitcoinsensus raised the possibility of a Dogecoin rally to $0.70, which could be near. This came as the analyst noted that DOGE has been moving in a nice way up throughout this entire bull cycle. This is said to be evident in the mini cycles, with the foremost meme coin tapping the dotted line, followed by a slow retrace. Based on this pattern, Bitcoinensus noted that DOGE could soon target the $0.70 range if the strong momentum in the crypto market returns.  At the time of writing, the Dogecoin price is trading at around $0.137, down in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap. Featured image from Getty Images, chart from Tradingview.com

For a market that usually moves in one direction, some voices are starting to say this time might look a little different. Canary Capital CEO Steven McClurg said XRP could move on a different path from Bitcoin this year, pointing to enterprise use cases as a key reason. Related Reading: Futures Frenzy Pushed Crypto Exchange Volume To Nearly $80 Trillion In 2025 He made the remarks during a podcast with host Paul Barron, and outlined a cautious view of Bitcoin while singling out protocols tied to real-world tokenization. According to McClurg, the shift in focus toward practical applications may help a small set of tokens behave differently than the wider market. XRP And Hedera Seen As Practical Picks McClurg named the XRP Ledger and Hedera as examples of networks that could benefit from enterprise adoption and tokenization efforts. He argued that platforms with clear utility — like payment rails, tokenized assets, or stablecoin infrastructure — have a better chance of holding value when speculative momentum fades. Reports have disclosed that he does not expect these assets to race higher; instead, modest gains are the likeliest outcome, with growth described as low double-digit rather than explosive. Bitcoin Faces Additional Downside McClurg turned more negative on Bitcoin. He said he believes Bitcoin peaked on October 6, 2025, at $126,200. Since that date Bitcoin has slipped roughly 35% to about $95,800. He warned that prices could fall another 20–30% over the next six to nine months, which would place BTC roughly between $65,000 and $77,000 before the end of the cycle. Based on his view, a new all-time high is not expected in 2026 and the market may be entering a deeper correction. Markets Could Still Move Together Critics point out that altcoins often suffer greater losses when the market experiences a downturn, and history supports that caution. Liquidity tends to dry up during big Bitcoin sell-offs, and even assets with real use cases can be pushed lower in a broad risk-off episode. In layman’s phrasing, XRP might fall less than Bitcoin and therefore look stronger in comparison, but outright independence from Bitcoin is rare and usually temporary. Related Reading: Ethereum Staking Hits Record Levels As Buterin Urges Builders To Deliver Real Apps Relative Outperformance The More Likely Outcome According to McClurg’s perspective, what is most realistic is relative outperformance rather than complete separation. That means XRP and similar tokens could remain flat or show modest positive returns while Bitcoin weakens. Such a pattern would still be notable for holders and for enterprises planning tokenization projects, but it falls short of a dramatic price surge. Featured image from Bitpanda Blog, chart from TradingView

Ethereum’s on-chain activity has jumped sharply, driven by a wave of first-time users and heavier transaction flow across the network. According to Glassnode, new activity retention roughly doubled this month — rising from about 4 million to around 8 million addresses — a move that points to a fresh cohort of wallets interacting with Ethereum rather than just repeat users. Related Reading: Bitcoin’s New Power Buyers: Companies Bought 3 Times What Miners Produced Surge In New Users Daily transactions hit a record high of 2.8 million on Thursday, a figure that is up 125% from the same period last year. Based on reports from Etherscan, active addresses have more than doubled year-over-year, moving from roughly 410,000 accounts to over 1 million as of Jan. 15. Those numbers suggest real, broad-based engagement is increasing, not merely short-lived spikes. Ethereum’s Month-over-Month Activity Retention shows a sharp spike in the “New” cohort, indicating a surge in first-time interacting addresses over the past 30 days. This reflects a notable influx of new wallets engaging with the Ethereum network, rather than activity being… pic.twitter.com/h8Zw7hXOSX — glassnode (@glassnode) January 15, 2026 Transaction Boom And L2 Effects Observers link the transaction growth in part to rising stablecoin activity and lower fees. Reports have disclosed that many transfers are migrating execution to Layer 2 networks while settlement stays on Ethereum’s main chain, which keeps finality secure and helps push down gas costs. Staking has also climbed, reaching nearly 36 million ETH, adding another layer to the network’s tightening supply dynamics. At the same time, market behavior remains careful. Strength in US equities has helped stabilize crypto prices, yet money flowing into Ethereum looks selective rather than broad. It seems that positioning is rather conservative; traders prefer waiting for more accurate signals regarding ETH prices instead of attempting to predict a breakout. In turn, ETH is consolidating around a correction, but there is not enough momentum-driven buying. Analyst Views & Price Movement There were also those who cited optimism based on improvements to on-chain fundamentals. For instance, LVRG Research reported that the increasing number of transactions and staking activities encouraged a positive network. Some traders argue the compression in price action could precede a breakout. Ether traded near a two-month high of $3,400 on Wednesday and was around $3,300 in early trading on Friday, reflecting the tug of war between renewed demand and persistent caution. Despite the stronger metrics, technical hurdles remain. Reports and recent analysis suggest the market is in a repair phase, not a confirmed uptrend. Overhead supply still constrains sustained advances, and many market participants want to see ETH reclaim key long-term resistance levels, such as the 200-day EMA, before committing large-scale capital. That explains why short-term traders operate inside a defined range while longer-term players hold back. Related Reading: Ethereum Staking Hits Record Levels As Buterin Urges Builders To Deliver Real Apps What This Means For Traders And Investors Network health has improved materially — more users, more transactions, and higher staking — but price action has not yet matched those gains. Based on the data presented, cautious optimism is reasonable. Traders may find chance to trade the range, while investors looking for conviction should wait for cleaner technical confirmation before assuming a sustained rally. Featured image from Blockzeit/EthBurn, chart from TradingView

According to Wintermute’s 2025 Digital Asset OTC Markets report, altcoin rallies last year were much shorter than traders expected, averaging about 19–20 days. That is a steep drop from the roughly 60-day runs seen in 2024. Market flows tightened, and many smaller tokens saw gains vanish faster than before. The result: capital moved back into the big names — Bitcoin and Ethereum — where liquidity is deeper. Related Reading: Bitcoin’s New Power Buyers: Companies Bought 3 Times What Miners Produced Altcoin Open Interest Drops Based on reports, one key trigger was a sharp deleveraging on October 10, 2025, which pushed retail traders to reduce risk and rotate out of smaller tokens. Open interest in many altcoin futures contracts fell, with some coverage noting about a 55% decline in altcoin futures open interest since October. Trading desks said lower liquidity made it harder for rallies to keep going beyond a few weeks, turning what used to be multi-month moves into short bursts. Major Coins Reclaimed Center Stage Institutional flows and product structures played a role. Reports have disclosed that ETFs and other institutional channels helped funnel funds toward Bitcoin and Ethereum. As a result, the market’s attention narrowed. Where narratives once pushed dozens of tokens into rallies, more capital was now concentrated in the top tier. Traders say they preferred assets where orders could be filled without dramatically moving the price. Short, Intense Moves Replaced Long Trends Wintermute’s analysis points to a change in how momentum forms. Rally drivers became more tactical and less about broad, lasting narratives. In practice, that meant memecoin pumps and exchange-themed rallies burned out quickly. Some traders described these moves as hair-trigger events: quick upswings followed by equally rapid retracements. Liquidity bands tightened and stops were hit sooner than in past cycles. What Traders And Firms Are Watching Market participants say the path to a sustained altcoin season now requires a few things aligning. Reports indicate renewed retail interest, clearer institutional support for smaller tokens, and calmer macro markets could help. Otherwise, rallies are likely to remain short. Execution desks reported that when big buyers reappeared for a token, it could run fast, but keeping that momentum proved difficult without deeper market participation. Related Reading: Futures Frenzy Pushed Crypto Exchange Volume To Nearly $80 Trillion In 2025 Outlook For 2026 Based on the report and market commentary, a broader crypto rebound in 2026 depends on several moving parts: interest from institutions, shifts in macro rates, and retail returning to risk-on strategies. If those elements arrive, rallies might last longer than the 19–20 day average seen in 2025. If not, traders say the pattern of quick, sharp moves into the majors will continue. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

According to ValidatorQueue data, staked Ethereum has climbed to close to 36 million, equal to nearly 30% of the circulating supply. That figure now represents more than $119 billion at current prices. Staking rose from 35.5 million to almost 36 million since early January, even though ETH has fallen more than 30% since August. Related Reading: Futures Frenzy Pushed Crypto Exchange Volume To Nearly $80 Trillion In 2025 The unstaking queue is zero, while the staking queue topped 2.5 million ETH — its highest level since August 2023. Based on reports, those moves point to strong long-term bets on the network. Ethereum Staking Shows Strong Conviction Institutional interest helped push the numbers higher. Publicly listed Digital Asset Treasuries and big staking services are said to be among the active participants. Some of the latest increases came during a stretch that had been mostly flat since last August. Market watchers say that rising stakes add to the protocol’s security profile, and the large queue suggests demand for on-chain commitments remains high even with price weakness. Buterin Says Infrastructure Is Ready Meanwhile, reports have disclosed that Ethereum’s founder, Vitalik Buterin, has urged builders to stop experimenting only in theory and start shipping real products. He has argued that the technical pieces are finally functional: the chain runs on proof of stake, transaction costs are lower, and scaling through ZK-EVMs and Layer 2s is working. Messaging that began with Whisper has been adapted into Waku, and apps such as Status and Railway were cited as examples that already use these systems. In 2014, there was a vision: you can have permissionless, decentralized applications that could support finance, social media, ride sharing, governing organizations, crowdfunding, potentially create an entire alternative web, all on the backs of a suite of technologies.… pic.twitter.com/ihU9qOrXfG — vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) January 14, 2026 He used the term “walkaway test” to describe a simple check: if a decentralized app’s operator disappears, can the data and functionality remain available to users? Fileverse, a decentralized document editor, was pointed to as a case where documents would survive even if the team behind it vanished. Builders Urged To Ship Practical Apps Buterin also criticized the trend toward overly centralized consumer devices and services that lock users into accounts and subscriptions. He warned against appliances that require registration and that may collect data on routine tasks. He contrasted those products with tools that a person truly owns and controls. The message was clear: now that infrastructure is in place, developers should focus on practical software people will actually use, not just experiments that live on testnets. What This Means Going Forward The split between the technical optimism and the market reality is visible. On one side, nearly 36 million ETH staked and a swollen staking queue show investor conviction in the protocol’s future. Related Reading: Bitcoin’s New Power Buyers: Companies Bought 3 Times What Miners Produced On the other, price pressure since August has been real and is still being felt. Reports emphasize that the climb in staked ETH strengthens the network’s security, but the call to build usable, user-friendly apps remains loud. If developers respond by shipping useful products that meet everyday needs, the combination of a secure chain and working applications could push broader adoption. For now, the numbers and the rhetoric are both sending a clear signal: the ingredients exist, and attention is shifting toward turning them into tools people rely on. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

Russia is preparing a landmark legal transformation that would expand who are qualified to buy and own cryptocurrencies in the country. Reports have disclosed that lawmakers in the State Duma are in the final phase of text meant to lower barriers for ordinary Russians, even as they keep safeguards and restrictions in place. Related Reading: Bitcoin’s New Power Buyers: Companies Bought 3 Times What Miners Produced The draft bill has drawn attention because it marks a shift from years of strict limits. According to TASS, the proposal would take cryptocurrencies out of a special financial regulation regime so they become a more common part of financial life for people across Russia. Lawmakers say this could make buying and holding crypto something regular citizens do, instead of a privilege for a few. “A bill has already been prepared that removes cryptocurrencies from special financial regulation, which means, they will be a common occurrence in our lives,” Anatoly Aksakov, chair of the State Duma’s Financial Market Committee, said. Expanded Access With Caps Under the current text, people who are not considered “qualified investors” would be able to buy digital coins up to a certain limit. The figure mentioned is 300,000 rubles per year, which is roughly $3,800. This cap aims to let more Russians participate in crypto while trying to prevent big losses if prices swing wildly. Ordinary buyers would still face conditions. Reports say they will have to meet some basic criteria or checks before gaining access, such as passing a short risk‑awareness step and trading only through licensed brokers or exchanges. This is meant to keep unregulated peer‑to‑peer trading from dominating. Professional or qualified market players would face fewer limits. They could trade and hold a wider range of cryptocurrencies with no annual restrictions, though they may still have to demonstrate understanding of risks. Legislative Push And Timing Lawmakers have said the draft is ready and will be discussed during Russia’s spring parliamentary session. If the State Duma passes the bill, implementation could start later in 2026. Aksakov told state media that this move could make crypto “a normal part of life” for many Russians. At the same time, Russian regulators continue to work on other crypto rules. The Bank of Russia has said it plans to set out penalties for illegal crypto intermediaries starting in 2027 and is pushing for a wider regulatory framework that covers both qualified and ordinary investors. Related Reading: Ethereum Could Surge To $7,500 And Leave Bitcoin Behind, Banking Giant Says Balancing Risk And Use Russia still bans using cryptocurrencies to pay for goods and services within the country, a rule in place since 2021. Officials say the new bill would not change that. Instead, the focus is on investment and holding, not daily spending. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

Standard Chartered has pushed its base-case price target for Ethereum to $7,500 by the end of the year, a big jump from an earlier $4,000 projection. Related Reading: Bitcoin’s New Power Buyers: Companies Bought 3 Times What Miners Produced According to the bank’s digital assets team, growing demand from corporate treasury buyers and spot ETH products has driven the change in outlook. Bank Raises Ethereum Target The bank’s lead analyst expects fee growth on the Ethereum network and stronger institutional adoption to be key drivers for the move higher. The bank also revised its longer-term numbers, lifting its 2028 target to $25,000 and laying out scenarios that push toward $40,000 by 2030. These wider targets reflect models where stablecoins and tokenized assets expand on Ethereum’s chain. Institutional Buying Drives Demand Data cited by market researchers points to heavy accumulation since June, with spot ETF flows and treasury firms together taking close to 4% of Ether’s circulating supply over that period. ETHEREUM SEEN OUTPERFORMING BITCOIN Standard Chartered says Ethereum’s outlook has improved and it is likely to outperform bitcoin. While weak bitcoin performance has weighed on the broader crypto market, rising institutional demand for ethereum and its dominance in stablecoins,… — *Walter Bloomberg (@DeItaone) January 13, 2026 Treasury firms alone reportedly bought about 2.3 million ETH in just over two months, a pace that Standard Chartered says outstrips some previous accumulation phases seen in Bitcoin. Ethereum Vs. Bitcoin Standard Chartered’s note also argues that Ether could outperform Bitcoin, raising the possibility of the ETH/BTC ratio returning toward levels last seen during 2021’s run-up. Based on the bank’s scenarios, weaker Bitcoin momentum combined with stronger real-world use of Ethereum might lift Ether’s price faster than Bitcoin’s in the months ahead. Long-Term Upside Scenarios Some headlines have pointed to even bigger long-range targets produced by the same models, including forecasts of $30,000 by 2029 and $40,000 by 2030 under more bullish assumptions. These outcomes rely on a substantial expansion of stablecoin use, tokenized real-world assets, and continued staking demand that would remove supply from the market. Independent forecasters remain split, and other banks have offered lower year-end projections, offering a reminder that expert views differ. Meanwhile, market watchers caution, though, that relative moves depend heavily on ETF flows and corporate balance-sheet decisions. Related Reading: Bitcoin At $100K Could Spark A Fresh Wave Of Retail FOMO, Analysts Warn Network Fundamentals And Risks According to the bank, Ethereum’s large share of stablecoin activity and its role in decentralized finance make fee income and on-chain demand a meaningful part of valuation models. That said, the bank notes that scale improvements and Layer 1 throughput will matter a lot if big, traditional finance transactions migrate onchain. The research also warns that shifts in macro conditions, outflows from major ETFs, or regulatory setbacks could change the math quickly. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

According to reports, global crypto exchange trading volume jumped to over $79 trillion in 2025, driven largely by futures and perpetual contracts. That surge pushed derivatives to claim most of the market’s activity, while spot trading grew at a much slower pace. Related Reading: XRP Ledger May Get A Tokenized Gold Upgrade, Web3 Founder Reveals Spot Volume Climbs While Futures Explode Spot trading finished the year near $18.6 trillion, an increase of roughly 9% versus the prior year. But futures and perpetuals were the real story: they totaled close to $62 trillion, making up about 77% of combined exchange volume. That heavy tilt toward derivatives shifted where liquidity and daily turnover were concentrated. Exchanges At The Center Of Activity Binance stood out as the top contributor to both segments. Reports show Binance handled roughly $25.4 trillion in Bitcoin perpetual futures alone — about 42% of the top 10 platforms’ Bitcoin perpetual volume — and continued to hold large stablecoin balances relative to peers. Other major venues such as OKX, Bybit and Bitget formed a secondary tier for futures trading. 2025 crypto exchange activity in review. Spot volume reached $18.6T (+9% YoY) while perpetuals surged to $61.7T (+29%), with Binance dominating spot, BTC perps, liquidity, and reserves. Growth is derivative-led, and market power continues to concentrate at the top. pic.twitter.com/Om8udJJ9Qv — CryptoQuant.com (@cryptoquant_com) January 12, 2026 Derivatives Data Variations Not all trackers measure markets the same way. Some platforms reported even higher figures for derivatives in 2025 — CoinGlass, for example, tallied about $85.7 trillion in crypto derivatives volume for the year. Differences in counting methods, which products are included, and which venues are covered explain much of the gap between sources. Why Futures Dominated Trading Traders used futures to take positions, hedge exposures, and respond quickly to price moves. That activity raised daily turnover and boosted the headline totals. While spot trading reflects direct buying and selling of coins, futures multiply notional flow because a single contract can represent a much larger notional value than a spot trade. The concentration of trading on a handful of platforms has drawn attention from watchdogs in recent years. Regulators have warned that heavy reliance on a small set of exchanges could pose risks if those venues suffer outages or enforcement actions. The data for 2025 renewed those concerns because a large share of the new volume was funneled through the biggest operators. Related Reading: Dogecoin Bulls Watch $0.28 As Breakout Signals Stack Up What This Means Going Forward Based on reports, the derivatives market’s dominance could continue unless spot demand picks up substantially or regulation alters trading incentives. Institutional interest, products tied to regulated markets, and changes to stablecoin rules are all possible factors that could reshape volumes next year. Analysts caution that headline totals will keep varying with methodology and which datasets are used. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

Bitcoin climbed above $96,000 for the first time since November, triggering over $500 million in liquidations as altcoins outperformed and traders rushed to cover bearish bets.

XRP has lagged behind a modest rebound in the wider crypto market, even as the total market cap climbed by $20 billion this week. According to chartist analysis, the token’s recent calm may be part of a longer pattern that has, in past cycles, ended with sharp gains. Traders watching XRP’s swings are being told the real challenge is holding through slow stretches rather than reacting to short-term price moves. Related Reading: XRP Ledger May Get A Tokenized Gold Upgrade, Web3 Founder Reveals Part Sequence Cited As Historical Pattern According to reports from an analyst known as Cryptollica, XRP’s price history can be split into a four-part sequence that often precedes big rallies. The first known cycle ran from 2014 into 2017, when XRP bottomed at $0.002 in July 2014 and then formed higher lows while trading above an upward support line. The analyst argues that time and patience is the real obstacle facing XRP holders, not price swings. Long periods of flat movement can drain confidence, even when the broader structure remains intact. XRP has spent months moving sideways after its rise to $3.4, and this slow pace is described as the phase where many investors lose patience and exit early, long before any major move begins. They Shake You Out in “PART 3” So You Watch in “PART 4”. ????️ The biggest enemy of an $XRP holder is not price, it is TIME. Stick to the structure (Fractal): 2014-2017: Part 1, 2, & 3 executed ➡️ Result: Rally. 2021-2026: Part 1, 2, & 3 executed ➡️ What comes next? The… pic.twitter.com/thxMqFsRWk — Cryptollica⚡️ (@Cryptollica) January 12, 2026 Based on the same analysis, earlier XRP cycles followed a similar path. Price stayed quiet for extended stretches, then moved fast once the waiting phase ended. The message is blunt: nothing may look wrong on the chart, but the delay itself becomes the pressure. For those holding XRP near $2.05, the challenge is not avoiding losses, but enduring the wait without reacting to boredom or frustration. XRP’s Current Run Mirrors Past Phases Cryptollica maps a similar pattern onto more recent history. Part 1 is marked from a March 2020 low of $0.114, with higher lows forming until late 2024. Part 2, according to the charts, began in November 2024 when the token jumped from around $0.5 and peaked near $3.4 in January 2025. Since that peak, XRP has pulled back and entered what the analyst calls Part 3 — a consolidation phase that some holders find dull but which, based on the model, can set the stage for a final upward leg. Bull Case Pinned To Time And Utility Cryptollica projects that when the cycle moves into Part 4, XRP could run toward $8, which would be roughly a 290% rise from a current price near $2.05. Reports also highlight views from Bird, a developer in the XRP Ledger ecosystem, who has argued that XRP should be considered for long-term savings plans. XRP should be considered as part of your life saving plans. Most people keep their money in banks earning around 4–6% a year and feel comfortable doing so, but they rarely factor in inflation. Over time, the buying power of the US dollar and the British pound for example has… — Bird (@Bird_XRPL) January 11, 2026 Bird pointed out that common bank accounts offering 4–6% returns may not keep up with rising everyday costs and suggested that regulatory clarity and growing use cases could support demand for the token. Related Reading: Dogecoin Bulls Watch $0.28 As Breakout Signals Stack Up Tokenization, ETFs And Stablecoins In Focus The developer and other proponents link potential future demand to several trends: tokenizing real-world assets on the XRPL, the arrival of institutional ETFs, and new stablecoins such as RLUSD. These developments are cited as possible sources of steady capital inflows that would help sustain higher prices. At the same time, reports urge caution: patterns that worked before are not guarantees, and time can be costly for holders who sell during protracted quiet periods. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

Crypto pundit Bird has highlighted why this week could be a massive one for XRP. This comes as market investors keep an eye on key macro events such as the U.S. CPI and also the upcoming CLARITY Act markup.  Why This Is A Massive Week For XRP In an X post, Bird stated that this is a massive week as the Russell 2000 has rallied to new all-time highs (ATHs). He explained that every previous time that this has happened, XRP has gone on to record a major run. The analyst also alluded to macro data dropping this week, which could also impact the XRP price. Related Reading: Analyst Outlines The Bull Case For XRP And Why Price Will Hit All-Time High Soon Bird noted that the CPI and PPI inflation data, which drops this week, always injects volatility into the crypto market. The crypto pundit also stated that the long-awaited markup of the market structure bill (CLARITY Act) is scheduled for this Thursday. This is significant because the legislation could provide legal clarity for XRP and other crypto assets.  The pundit remarked that the charts and macro are aligning for XRP. He predicted that if these developments push the altcoin above $2.70, it could quickly rally to a new all-time high (ATH). Bird asserted that if this doesn’t happen, then the market is likely manipulated, as he believes that XRP and the broader crypto market should be recording significant gains right now.  It is worth noting that XRP rallied to as high as $2.3 at the start of the year but has since lost most of those gains, though the altcoin is still up over 10% year-to-date (YTD). XRP could be one of the crypto assets that benefits most from the passage of the CLARITY Act, as it would boost Ripple’s operations, which could in turn drive more adoption for XRP.  XRP Could Rally To $2.26 From Here Crypto analyst CasiTrades has predicted that XRP could rally to $2.26 from its current level. In an X post, she stated that she expects the altcoin to reach this level to complete a subwave 2 and that the next wave up is critical. The analyst warned that if the price action stays corrective, then there could be a sharp rejection that sends the altcoin into a subwave 3 down. XRP could break the .5 support in the process and target the $1.65 macro support.  However, if XRP’s bounce has the strength to break above $2.41 and flip it into support, this could invalidate the scenario down to $1.65. CasiTrades remarked that this is the key decision in the market, even as market participants keep an eye on the macro fundamentals.  Related Reading: Analyst Breaks Down Why Investors will Make More Money With XRP Than Bitcoin At the time of writing, the XRP price is trading at around $2.06, down in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap. Featured image from Freepik, chart from Tradingview.com

Dogecoin (DOGE) traded at $0.14 on Friday, up 0.25% in the last 24 hours, according to market tickers. The coin’s weekly performance showed a fall of 7.40%. Trading activity has eased sharply, with one source reporting a drop in volume of 50%. Related Reading: XRP Ledger May Get A Tokenized Gold Upgrade, Web3 Founder Reveals Key Momentum Readings And Moving Averages According to market data, DOGE RSI sits at 52.70 with a signal line at 52, which points to fairly balanced momentum and no clear bias. Exponential moving averages line up as follows: EMA 20 at $0.13, EMA 50 at $0.14, EMA 100 at $0.15 and EMA 200 at $0.17. The EMA set shows a downward curve overall, and the EMA 50 is being watched closely as a short-term barrier. The coin’s market capitalization stood at $23.60 billion. Analysts Offer Targets As Price Forms Higher Lows Crypto analyst Jonathan Carter set a ladder of upside targets at $0.15, $0.18, $0.20, $0.24 and $0.28, saying that those levels correspond to past reaction points on the chart. Based on reports, Carter views price action above the 50-day average as an early sign that momentum is returning. #DOGE Descending Channel Breakout Imminent????‍???? Dogecoin is poised to break out from the descending channel formation on the daily chart????‍♂️ Price action above the MA 50 indicates a potential reversal from a prolonged downtrend structure???? Upside targets: ???? $0.153 ???? $0.182 ????… pic.twitter.com/EfRjyg6tfo — Jonathan Carter (@JohncyCrypto) January 11, 2026 DOGE has been building higher lows, which would be a positive structure if it holds. Other analysts identified the all-time high at $0.73 as a long-term reference and noted a fourfold minimum growth target from current prices under the existing trend. Open Interest Climbs While Volume Drops CoinGlass data showed trading volume down by 43% to $1.30 billion in one report, even as Open Interest rose 1.70% to $1.80 billion. Total liquidations in the last 24 hours were listed at $596K, with long positions making up $431K and shorts $165K. This split suggests more long exposure among leveraged traders at the moment. Market Structure Means A Clear Move Is Needed Traders are sizing up several clear levels. A sustained move above EMA 50 at $0.14 could invite more buyers. A failure to hold the EMA 20 support at $0.13 would raise questions about the short-term strength. While momentum indicators are neutral now, a decisive break either way would likely be followed by sharper swings given low volume. Related Reading: Bitcoin’s Next Peak Might Ignite ADA’s Rally, Says Cardano Creator The current picture is mixed: signals of regained momentum sit beside declining volume and a downward slope in longer EMAs. Positions are being kept, as shown by rising Open Interest, but many market participants appear to be waiting for confirmation. If buying pressure returns and volume recovers, the analyst targets listed above could come into focus. If not, the chart may remain in a tight range for some time. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

Binance Coin climbed again over the weekend, pushing past the $900 mark and touching about $907 on Sunday after a sharp 24-hour uptick. Markets were calmer overall, with the broader crypto complex up 0.55% for the day while Bitcoin hovered above $92,000 and Ethereum traded beyond $3,100. Related Reading: Bitcoin’s Next Peak Might Ignite ADA’s Rally, Says Cardano Creator Market Reaction To Regulatory Shift According to social posts from Changpeng Zhao, founder and former CEO of Binance who is also known as ‘CZ’, optimism around a possible new crypto cycle helped fuel demand. CZ linked the mood to a regulatory change, saying the Securities and Exchange Commission had removed crypto from its list of priority risks for 2026. Based on reports, that move is being read by some investors as a sign of easing scrutiny, and it appears to have lifted sentiment across tokens. I could be wrong, but Super Cycle incoming. https://t.co/6TLldEMmGA — CZ ???? BNB (@cz_binance) January 10, 2026 Institutional Buying Adds Fuel Reports note sizable institutional flows into Bitcoin products. According to a filing, Wells Fargo bought 383 million of Bitcoin ETF shares, a figure that market watchers flagged as a large institutional stake. Morgan Stanley also filed for its own spot Bitcoin ETF last week, which many see as more proof that big financial players are stepping in. Those actions are being cited by traders as one reason risk assets like Binance Coin could see more interest. Macroeconomic Calendar Could Swing Prices A packed US data week is ahead and traders say it could affect crypto angles. On Monday, the market will watch a speech by the FOMC president. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the US Consumer Price Index and the Producer Price Index are due. Jobless claims come on Thursday, and a Fed balance sheet update lands on Friday. Any big surprise in those numbers can push liquidity flows and quickly change appetite for tokens. Binance Coin: Technical Levels To Watch BNB briefly reclaimed the $900 zone and was reported at $909 in some feeds as the four-hour chart showed a steady climb. Short-term resistance sits near $950, with a psychological barrier at $1,000. Related Reading: XRP Ledger May Get A Tokenized Gold Upgrade, Web3 Founder Reveals Technical indicators offered cautious support for bulls: the MACD showed a bullish crossover with the blue line above the signal line, and the histogram printed positive bars, which suggests buying pressure building. The RSI sat around 56.10, under overbought levels, implying room for more gains. Traders still point to a key support range near $850. A break below that could invite heavier selling and take prices down toward $820. The scenario of a quick pullback is real; prices that move fast up can move fast down. Market participants will be watching both the macro calendar and any fresh regulatory updates for clues. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

Tokenized gold is getting fresh attention in the XRP community, and some voices are saying the technology is ready. According to posts from XRPL developers and industry figures, the ledger can support 24/7 access, quick transfers, and integration with automated market makers. Related Reading: Bitcoin’s Next Peak Might Ignite ADA’s Rally, Says Cardano Creator Meld Gold is cited as a concrete step: reports have disclosed that Meld partnered with Ripple in June 2024 and launched gold and silver tokens in Q3 2024, with each token backed by one gram of physical metal held by trusted providers. That move put an actual product on the ledger instead of just talk. Tokenized Metals Moving Toward XRPL Advocates argue that having on-ledger tokens backed by real metal changes the use case for XRP and the XRPL. Phil Kwok, co-founder of Web3 technology company and education platform EasyA, told followers that “tokenized gold is coming to the XRPL,” and validators like Vet pointed out the technical fit. absolutely. tokenised gold is coming to the xrp ledger. and it’s going to be epic. https://t.co/wSPobxHD2W — Phil Kwok | EasyA (@kwok_phil) January 9, 2026 Vet highlighted features such as constant availability and links to DeFi tools, and raised the question of why broad adoption has not happened yet. Some future features, including lending and escrow, were mentioned as ways to make tokenized metals more useful. Market Demand And The Incentive Gap Demand already exists in other corners of crypto. Reports note Paxos and Tether manage billions of dollars’ worth of tokenized metals, showing investor interest is real. Still, execution matters. Pano Mekras of Anodos Finance told the discussion that incentives are likely the missing piece; large firms may be reluctant to launch products on the XRPL unless there are clear economic reasons to do so. Attracting high-volume projects may require active outreach and stronger on-ledger incentives. Market Reaction And Price Action Based on reports, XRP’s price moved above $2 early in January 2026 and touched around $2.41 during a broader crypto upswing. The token later settled near $2 as traders digested gains. A pullback of roughly 14% has been reported since the highs, and trading has shown both inflows from institutions and bouts of profit-taking. There is no clear proof that tokenized metals have driven these swings, however; market moves are being tracked separately from on-ledger product launches. What This Means For The XRPL If more tokenized metal products arrive, the XRPL could find new uses beyond payments. Trading and settlement for gold and silver tokens would add transaction volume and could open room for new DeFi tools built around those tokens. Related Reading: Crypto Market Watches As Clarity Act Enters Senate Debate Next Week: US Senator Adoption will depend on custody arrangements, audit practices, and regulatory clarity, areas observers say still need work. Economic incentives, as Mekras warned, will play a key role in whether major issuers come onboard. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

Ethereum’s price action has spent an unusually long time moving sideways, and this behavior has tested the patience of many long-term bullish investors. When speaking of sideways movement, this movement has dragged on for many months, although Ethereum did manage to make a new all-time high in 2025. Interestingly, a technical analysis shared on X by Egrag Crypto shows how Ethereum’s current price action fits into previous playouts when viewed through an inverted monthly chart. This offers a perspective on what appears to be stagnation about to break into new price highs. Related Reading: Bitcoin’s Next Peak Might Ignite ADA’s Rally, Says Cardano Creator A Repeating Cycle With Changing Behavior The analysis is based on an inverted monthly Ethereum chart, which offers an interesting perspective that flips conventional interpretations of price movement. Ethereum’s inverted monthly chart shows a consistent pattern that’s changing with time in market structure across multiple cycles.  A look at the inverted chart shows that previous price cycles were characterized by short accumulation phases followed by aggressive moves. As the market matured, those accumulation zones stretched out, and the resulting moves became less violent and more controlled. The first instance was in 2016, when Ethereum traded in a range for about 10 months before breaking out and going on a violent drop. A similar structure appeared between mid-2018 and mid-2020, when a longer consolidation phase preceded another drop that played out gradually at a softer pace.  The current cycle, however, is playing out with a much longer accumulation. Therefore, the eventual drop should be shorter, according to Egrag Crypto. Inverted Ethereum Price Chart. Source: @egragcrypto on X A Drop Here Actually Means A Breakout The most important detail in this technical framework is that the chart is inverted. What looks like a downside move on this view actually points to upside expansion on the real Ethereum price chart.  According to the previous outcomes, once Ethereum exits this range, the next move is likely to unfold quickly. It may not match the explosive nature of early-cycle rallies, but it is expected to be more orderly, sustained, and carry Ethereum to new price highs.  When the structure is converted back into real price terms, Egrag Crypto identifies the $3,800 to $4,500 area as the first critical zone. This region represents initial resistance that must be cleared to confirm a bullish continuation. Only after a decisive move above this range would the $6,000 to $7,500 zone come into focus as a realistic upside target. Related Reading: Crypto Market Watches As Clarity Act Enters Senate Debate Next Week: US Senator The analysis also highlights a defined risk scenario. A pullback to the $1,800 to $2,200 region would postpone the breakout and act as a final shakeout before a final lift-off. However, as long as Ethereum holds its broader consolidation structure, such a retest would not invalidate the thesis. At the time of writing, Ethereum is trading at $3,100. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

Ethereum’s social buzz has cooled to levels some analysts compare with the period before last year’s powerful rebound, but experts say that doesn’t automatically mean another big surge is imminent. Related Reading: Bitcoin’s Next Peak Might Ignite ADA’s Rally, Says Cardano Creator Sentiment Mirrors Past Lows According to Santiment analyst Brian Quinlivan, social media sentiment around Ethereum has slipped and now sits near the low range seen before the 2025 rally. Quinlivan suggested that the decline in chatter “argues against us falling too much further,” and he pointed out that price has often climbed after strong public doubt. On Aug. 23, Ether hit a fresh all-time high of around $4,900, a move that followed a recovery from a yearly low near $1,470 in April, based on CoinGecko data. That rally pushed the token back above its 2021 high. Since then, Ether has retreated about 36% from the peak and was trading at $3,089 at the time of the reports. Market Shock And Liquidity Events Reports have disclosed that a mass liquidation on Oct. 10 triggered close to $20 billion of losses across the crypto market, and that event is linked to the more recent pullback. The liquidation hit many positions and was followed by a broader risk-off mood. Crypto fear gauges have been low. One index posted a Fear score of 29 on Sunday, while the Altcoin Season Index shows a Bitcoin Season score of 34 out of 100 — a reading that points to money flowing into Bitcoin rather than into altcoins over the past 90 days. That mix of metrics is being watched closely by traders who size positions on sentiment shifts. Network Activity And Staking Interest Quinlivan also highlighted on-chain signals he finds positive. According to his view, activity on Ethereum’s network has been rising, and staking has drawn more attention from users. Increasing bandwidth is safer than reducing latency With PeerDAS and ZKPs, we know how to scale, and potentially we can scale thousands of times compared to the status quo. The numbers become far more favorable than before (eg. see analysis here, pre and post-sharding… — vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) January 8, 2026 Meanwhile, Vitalik Buterin has joined the public conversation about technical upgrades. Buterin said in an extended X post that PeerDAS, which arrived with the Fusaka upgrade, along with zero-knowledge proofs and sharding, will push Ethereum toward much higher throughput. He added that layer-2 networks like Base, Polygon, and Optimism will still be needed because many use cases demand speeds that are even quicker than mainnet. Related Reading: Crypto Market Watches As Clarity Act Enters Senate Debate Next Week: US Senator Institutional Views And Market Positioning Based on reports, Coinbase Asset Management president Anthony Bassili said in November 2025 that investors tend to view Bitcoin first and Ethereum second when building a core portfolio. That stance reflects how many large investors now treat Ether as the default number-two market cap asset rather than as a fringe bet. With that status, downside expectations can be smaller than for riskier tokens. Still, sentiment can remain low for long stretches, and being ranked highly does not remove volatility. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

XRP kicked off January with a massive break above $2 and a rally towards $2.4. However, since then, the cryptocurrency has struggled to keep up bullish momentum.  Now, attention has turned to a familiar and stubborn technical level, one that has shaped XRP’s history as resistance and support over many years. In a recent post on X, crypto analyst Steph highlighted this level and its significance as a vantage point that correlates with the cryptocurrency’s latest price outlook. Related Reading: Crypto Market Watches As Clarity Act Enters Senate Debate Next Week: US Senator A Resistance Zone Etched In History Technical analysis of XRP’s price action on the 12-month candlestick timeframe focuses on a price region that has haunted the cryptocurrency since 2017. According to crypto analyst Steph, every major cycle rally has stalled around $2, and this makes it a defining long-term resistance area for the cryptocurrency.  This pattern is meaningful and not at a random price target. When price consolidates beneath a barrier for years, the pressure that builds can cause a powerful upside move once the barrier finally gives way. According to Steph, a clean, consecutive close above $2 on a yearly timeframe would mean that long-term supply has been exhausted and could open the door to a much larger repricing for XRP.  This perspective aligns with recent chart behavior. XRP climbed above $2.40 very briefly in early January, but it could not sustain the breakout, retreating toward the mid-$2 area after sellers re-entered the market. Current price readings show the cryptocurrency trading around the high $2 region at $2.09. XRP 12-Month Price Chart. Source: @Steph_iscrypto On X What A Breakout Could Mean For The Next Chapter The challenge for XRP is not whether it can trade above $2, because it already has. The token spent much of the first half of 2025 above this level, and this eventually carried the price to an all-time high at $3.65.  The issue is that XRP has consistently gravitated back toward the $2 zone over time, turning it into a recurring pivot base for support and resistance. This behavior has caused several breakout attempts to appear as little more than long upper wicks on the 12-month candlestick timeframe, followed by mean reversion. What matters now is not a brief push through the level, but whether XRP can break above $2 and hold it with a meaningful close on higher timeframes. A sustained close  above $2 would mean that supply at this level is finally being absorbed. That outcome would be an important milestone in XRP’s long-term structure. However, before that can happen, XRP’s price action still needs to establish strength on mid-timeframes. The important thing will be whether $2 can change from resistance to support in the weeks and months ahead.  Related Reading: Bitcoin’s Next Peak Might Ignite ADA’s Rally, Says Cardano Creator If it breaks above $2 convincingly, then it can create another base at a higher price level. In Steph’s projection, such a structural change could open XRP for an extended move, with upside targets stretching as high as $30. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView

XRP is now back to trading just above the $2 level after an early January rally briefly carried its price action into the $2.40 range. The pullback has so far been controlled, with price holding above former resistance that has now turned into short-term support. A technical analysis shared on X by crypto analyst Bird proposed that conditions are now right for a familiar macro setup that has preceded XRP’s largest historical rallies. The focus of this outlook is on XRP’s reaction with the US dollar index and what its next move could mean for the cryptocurrency. Related Reading: Crypto Market Watches As Clarity Act Enters Senate Debate Next Week: US Senator How DXY Weakness Has Always Unlocked XRP Rallies Bird’s analysis is based on the US Dollar Index, or DXY, and its inverse relationship with XRP during important phases. The chart accompanying his post pointed to three previous periods, around 2017, 2021, and 2024, where sustained weakness in the dollar coincided with aggressive upside moves in XRP.  In each of those cycles, red candles on the DXY chart led to a loss of dollar strength, while XRP responded with strong upward expansion shortly after. This recurring pattern means that XRP’s largest moves tend to follow macro shifts, not just even events related to XRP. When dollar dominance fades, capital always rotates into crypto assets, and XRP has been one of the primary beneficiaries of that transition. Interestingly, the current setup shows that DXY has returned to a similar structural zone seen before past rollovers. As shown in the chart below, the DXY is now trending downwards. US Dollar Index, XRPUSD. Source: @Bird_XRPL On X  XRP To New All-Time Highs? The first highlighted phase captures the late-2017 to early-2018 cycle, when a weakening dollar backdrop lined up with XRP’s rally run into the cycle peak in the mid-$3 range. A similar relationship appeared around the 2020-2021 window, where dollar softness was followed by XRP surging to $1.90 at its cycle top. The latest was in H1 2025, which culminated in XRP reaching its current all-time high of $3.65 in July. The important context is why the current moment is a decision point. At the time of writing, the DXY is sitting around 99, and from here it can either turn lower and start printing red candles again or catch a bid and print green. If DXY starts printing red candles again and rolls over, the pattern Bird is pointing to suggests the macro backdrop becomes supportive for another strong XRP leg higher, which is why a new all-time high above $3.65 could come into view within the next few months.  Related Reading: Bitcoin’s Next Peak Might Ignite ADA’s Rally, Says Cardano Creator If DXY prints green and strengthens, that would be the opposite signal: it can tighten liquidity conditions and keep XRP’s price action capped in consolidation around $2 before any breakout attempt. Either way, the dollar’s next move will signal what comes next. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView