TL;DR:
- XRP crashed 8% to $2.90 overnight amid 259M hourly volume (4x average), erasing $14B from market cap despite Ripple’s legal wins.
- Analysts cite $2.80 as critical support; reclaiming $3.23 resistance could enable $3.65 rally, though Bitcoin dominance may dictate volatility.
- Whale activity splits: $28M daily exits clash with $1B off-exchange accumulation, revealing strategic divergence among large holders.
XRP plunged 8% overnight, plummeting from a session high of $3.17 to $2.90 during midnight trading on August 1. The steepest decline occurred within a single hour as 259.21 million tokens changed hands, quadruple the average hourly volume. At press time, XRP trades at $2.95, marking a 7% daily and 5% weekly drop. The token’s market capitalization now stands at $174 billion, reflecting intensified selling pressure despite Ripple’s recent legal progress.
XRP Daily Technical Outlook:$XRP closed bearish. However, the Monthly candle printed strongly bullish. I’ll look for more short-term volatility from here to scalp opportunities. Both Bitcoin and BTC.D will play a role 🧙♂️ pic.twitter.com/wHFIz9S24J
— CRYPTOWZRD (@cryptoWZRD_) August 1, 2025
Sharp Volume Spike Triggers Sell-Off
The abrupt 3% hourly crash coincided with unprecedented trading activity, as 259 million XRP flooded markets during late-night Asian trading. This volume surge starkly contrasts with typical activity, signaling panic selling or coordinated exits. The sell-off erased $14 billion from XRP’s market cap within 24 hours, undercutting its recovery momentum from July’s bullish performance.
Critical Price Thresholds Identified
Analyst CRYPTOWZRD highlighted conflicting signals: daily charts turned bearish while monthly trends remain strongly bullish. “Holding above $2.80 preserves recovery potential,” he noted, adding that breaching $3.30 could trigger a rally toward $3.65. Intraday analysis pins $3.23 as key resistance, a level that could validate long positions if reclaimed. Conversely, sustained trading below $3 maintains bearish pressure, with Bitcoin’s dominance likely directing short-term volatility.
Whale Exodus Reveals Strategic Split
On-chain data reveals that whales are leaving, as big holders are selling off $28 million in XRP each day for the past 90 days. Paradoxically, exchange balances dwindled as 310 million tokens ($1 billion) moved to private wallets during the dip. This suggests accumulation by undisclosed entities despite public sell-offs, creating a strategic divergence between exiting and accumulating whales.
Double Bottom Signals Recovery Hope
Technical charts show a potential double-bottom pattern forming after XRP rebounded twice near identical support levels. A confirmed breakout above the pattern’s resistance line could signal renewed bullish momentum. Traders now watch the $3.05 level to invalidate bearish theories, though failure to hold $2.80 risks cascading liquidations given record-high leveraged short positions.
