The Ripple price (XRP) posts its first daily gain in three while bouncing off a 10-week low, up more than 3.0% intraday to $1.87 early Friday.
In doing so, the altcoin benefits from the cryptocurrency market’s consolidation, backed by the risk-on mood in financial markets.
Additionally, buzz surrounding a growing interest in the Ripple (XRP) Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) and strong trading volume might have contributed to the altcoin’s latest recovery. According to Santiment, Ripple’s daily trading volume jumps to the highest level since December 01, to $4.69 billion, while the market capitalization (market cap) improves from the lowest level since early April to $112.88 billion by press time.
However, XRP is currently experiencing its third consecutive weekly and monthly loss, in addition to the impending first yearly decline in three years.
Notably, technical analysis surrounding the Ripple price flashes bearish signals and challenges the recovery hopes.
Let’s discuss XRP catalysts in detail for a clear view.
XRP ETF Inflows Challenge Bitcoin, Ethereum Preference
Among the key factors, sustained capital inflows to the XRP ETFs since their launch, especially when the Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) linked ETFs report outflows, have gained major attention.
As per the latest SoSoValue data, the U.S. Ripple (XRP) spot ETFs reported a consecutive 24 days of inflow, with the latest daily figures being $30.41 million. Notably, the XRP’s weekly inflows were $68.83 million during a six-week inflow pattern. Furthermore, the XRP ETFs witnessed $666.61 million in inflows in November, since their launch on November 13, while the December inflows are $393.13 million at the latest.
On the other hand, the U.S. Bitcoin (BTC) spot ETFs reported a heavy November monthly outflow of $3.48 billion, the biggest since February, while the December outflows are $139.97 million.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Ethereum (ETH) spot ETFs marked the biggest monthly outflow on record during November, with the $1.42 billion figure. That said, December’s numbers are still red, with the latest monthly figures being -$424.72 million.
Whale Accumulation
Apart from the ETF inflows, wallets holding large quantities of Ripple’s XRP, generally more than 1.0 million, also show a strong accumulation trend for XRP and lure buyers. Such wallets are called ‘whales’ in crypto terms and command significant power in price directions.
As per the latest on-chain signals, 800 million XRP tokens were moved off exchanges in December 2025. Such moves generally suggest that traders are interested in locking the tokens rather than trading, highlighting the bullish bias among the market players.
On the same line is a buzz that the XRP exchange balance dropped 45% in the past two months, and 400 million XRPs are locked in the ETF custody vaults during the said 60-day period. Such moves confirm that XRP traders are more interested in storing the altcoin.
Although growing institutional interest and whale performance keep XRP buyers hopeful, technical analysis suggests further downside in the Ripple price, mainly due to its early-week breakdown of an 11-week-old symmetrical triangle and bearish signals from the Directional Movement Index (DMI) momentum indicator.
That said, the symmetrical triangle has portrayed the ripple’s price consolidation since early October amid a bearish undertone.
Ripple Price: Daily Chart Suggests Consolidation
Ripple price moves inside a multi-week symmetrical triangle, backed by downbeat signals from the DMI and moving-average crossover.
That said, the DMI’s Downmove (D-, orange) tops the Average Directional Index (ADX, red) line and the Upmove (D+, blue) lines, with the D- being closer to the 25.00 neutral limit and hence portraying a slightly bearish directional momentum.
Meanwhile, the 100-day Simple Moving Average (SMA) crossed the 200-day SMA from above during late November and portrayed the bearish moving average crossover.
As a result, the XRP sellers are keeping an eye on the February low of $1.77 as an immediate support during the quote’s fresh fall, a break of which could direct the Ripple price toward April’s low of $1.61.
Notably, a downward-sloping trendline from February, near $1.50, appears to be a tough nut to crack for XRP bears afterward.
Alternatively, the Ripple price recovery remains elusive below the previously stated symmetrical triangle’s bottom line, close to $2.00 by press time.
Beyond that, a descending trendline from early October, near $2.08, and a late November swing high near $2.30, could lure XRP bulls.
In a case where the Ripple price remains firmer than $2.30
