Litecoin is once again at a critical crossroads, with its long-term structure remaining intact after years of successful defenses. However, the margin for error is thin. As price hovers near key levels, $63 has emerged as the line bulls must protect. A break below it could shift momentum sharply, while holding above keeps the broader bullish structure alive and sets the stage for the next decisive move. Structure Gives Way, Expansion Phase Begins Columbus’s latest LTC update highlights that the multi-year compression that previously capped price action has finally resolved, resulting in a clean break of the long-term chart setup. This structural change confirms a shift from a neutral state to a clearly bullish one. Related Reading: Here’s Why The Litecoin Price May Be Getting Ready For Another Massive Rally The current price action is described as a pause before expansion rather than the conclusion of the rally. In this phase, Litecoin is holding steady above old resistance levels, allowing the market to load for the next leg of the move, turning previous barriers into new support. Litecoin’s projected path forward is based on the typical behavior of expansion cycles following structural breaks. The strategy follows a clear three-step progression: the initial breakout, followed by the current phase of acceptance. Once the market fully accepts these new price levels, the “real move” begins, representing a phase where the most significant gains are expected to materialize. The 9-Year Trendline That Still Controls Litecoin Matthew Dixon highlighted the immense historical significance of the Litecoin long-term trend line. This line has acted as an unbreakable floor for nine years, with the price never closing below it. While the market has dipped under this line multiple times in the past, every attempt to break down has ultimately failed, maintaining a remarkably consistent structural defense. Related Reading: Litecoin Follows Bitcoin’s Momentum, But Resistance Looms At $79.60 Currently, the market environment is putting this nearly decade-long support to the test once again. Dixon emphasizes that we cannot rely on intra-month volatility to determine the outcome. Instead, the definitive signal rests solely on the monthly candle close. This closing price will serve as a macro-economic pivot point that dictates the primary direction for the coming months. A successful hold above the trend line would be a powerful bullish confirmation, suggesting the long-term uptrend remains intact despite external pressures. Conversely, a confirmed close below this line would shift the narrative to bearish, marking a historic breakdown of a nine-year support system. Specific technical triggers are also in play, particularly the $63 level. Dixon warns that falling below $63 would be devastating, as it would effectively nullify the hidden bullish divergence currently supporting the price. Given these risks, Dixon recommends exercising patience until the monthly close or ensuring strict stop losses are in place for any active trades. Featured image from Adobe Stock, chart from Tradingview.com
The XRP market has witnessed an unexpected shakeup over the past few days, with Open Interest (OI) plunging over 50% in just one weekend. According to data from Coinglass, XRP’s futures open interest dropped to approximately $4.22 billion as of October 14. This sharp decline signals a negative shift in market sentiment, raising the question about whether XRP’s recent price recovery can hold amid shrinking derivatives activity. XRP Open Interest On Exchanges Crashes 50% The data from Coinglass paints a clear picture of massive deleveraging across the XRP futures market. From September until October 10, XRP’s open interest consistently fluctuated between $7 billion and $9 million, indicating heightened speculative activity. Related Reading: Here’s How High The XRP Price Would Be With The Market Cap Of Bitcoin However, on October 11, the asset’s open interest crashed from $8.36 billion to $5.12 billion within 24 hours, representing a staggering 38.7% decline. Since then, the total open interest across exchanges has continued to trend downward, settling around $4.22 billion after crashing 50% from $8.36 billion on October 10. Binance, the largest exchange for XRP derivatives, mirrored this dramatic correction. Its open interest plummeted from $1.3 billion on October 8 to $607.21 million by October 14, marking a 53.4% collapse. The first major sign of stress appeared when open interest on Binance dropped from $1.27 billion on October 10 to $882.39 million on October 11, marking a roughly 30% loss overnight. Since that steep decline, the exchange has seen little sign of renewed speculative appetite. Notably, the decline in XRP exchange open interest coincided with its weekend price crash, when it fell from $2.4 to as low as $0.8 in a single day before rebounding above $1.5. Although XRP has since recovered to $2.46 as of writing, open interest continues to spiral downwards, reflecting a deep shift in market sentiment toward caution and fear. This also suggests that the current XRP price rally is driven more by spot buyers than leveraged traders, indicating that traders who shorted the market are being forced to buy back their positions. XRP Price Rally Hinges On $2.65 Breakout On the technical front, XRP’s daily chart on Binance suggests that the cryptocurrency may be nearing a critical turning point. According to crypto analyst Matthew Dixon, XRP bulls are now testing the $2.65 resistance zone after a significant corrective pattern. Related Reading: Zach Rector Pits XRP Against The Rest Of The Market – Here Are The Results The analyst’s chart shows that XRP’s recent price action completed a large WXY corrective wave, followed by a sharp rebound from its weekend low. Currently, the cryptocurrency is trading above $2.45, struggling to sustain momentum above the key $2.65 barrier. The analyst has indicated that a successful breakout and retest of this key resistance level could trigger rapid price acceleration, potentially driving XRP toward new all-time highs. Featured image from Adobe Stock, chart from Tradingview.com