XRP price held near $1.34 on Friday, while BTC, ETH, and XRP posted gains below 1% in 24 hours. The quiet move came after Tuesday’s rally and showed that digital assets are losing momentum. Traders are now more interested in whether XRP can regain strength, break through nearby resistance, and open up a way to $1.44. But the market is still on edge because of weak participation, low retail demand, and tense global news.
XRP Price Steadies as Momentum Cools
XRP price has entered a narrow trading range after failing to break above $1.40 earlier this week. That rejection pushed attention back to the $1.32 area, which has so far limited fresh downside. Consequently, the token now trades in a tight band as bulls and bears test near-term conviction.
The broader crypto market has also lost some urgency. Bitcoin and Ethereum are still stable, but neither has made a strong follow-through move. Also, XRP often follows the mood of the market as a whole when things are uncertain. That pattern still seems to be in place as traders wait for a clearer signal.
Recent price movements show that people are hesitant rather than strongly buying. XRP price is still close to short-term support, but buyers haven’t been able to build up enough momentum for a strong breakout. So, the current structure suggests that we should be careful until volume goes up and resistance levels start to break.
Regulation Offers Support, But Not Enough Yet
One beneficial theme is still helping XRP prices in the background. The U.S. Senate Banking Committee is going to mark up the CLARITY Act, which could change how federal agencies handle digital assets. If that process goes well, XRP could have a stronger legal case as a commodity.
That possibility is important because clear rules often make things less uncertain for big players in the market. The SEC and the CFTC have also taken steps to classify XRP as a digital commodity. That alignment could help clear up a long-standing question about the token.
Ripple has also confirmed a $500 million liquidity pool for XRP in Africa. Trident Digital Tech Holdings is leading that initiative to support On-Demand Liquidity expansion across the region. Moreover, the move shows that Ripple continues to build practical payment corridors instead of relying only on market hype.
Still, the market has not treated those developments as immediate breakout fuel. XRP ETF inflows totaled just $3.32 million during the recent period. That figure looks modest against XRP’s market size and daily turnover.
Middle East Tension Clouds the Outlook
Geopolitical stress has put even more pressure on the price of XRP. Risk-sensitive markets are still worried about the shaky ceasefire between the US and Iran. The deal is still in place, but people are still worried about what will happen in the Strait of Hormuz.
That tension is important because the price of cryptocurrencies often changes quickly when global risk appetite changes. When traders feel that things are unstable, they pull back from risky assets and wait for things to get better. Since the conflict started in late February, that defensive stance has spread throughout the digital asset market.
The Fear & Greed Index now reads 14, which signals extreme caution. That reading suggests that many market participants still expect turbulence rather than a smooth recovery. However, fear alone does not guarantee another sharp decline. It simply shows that conviction remains low and that rallies may struggle without a fresh catalyst.
Technical picture Keeps XRP Price Boxed In
From a chart perspective, XRP price remains trapped below several important technical markers. Analyst Mehmet Gizik noted resistance between $1.3600 and $1.3700, while the price holds near $1.3401. That places XRP just above the immediate support zone around $1.3360.
Source: X
This level now carries major importance for the short-term structure. If XRP price slips below $1.3360, the next support sits near $1.3051. Below that, $1.2780 marks the lower boundary of the current setup. Hence, bulls need to protect the present floor to avoid deeper losses.
On the upside, the market must first reclaim the resistance band overhead. A break above that zone would place $1.3959 back into focus. From there, traders could start discussing a stronger run toward $1.44.
The moving averages also show a limited picture. The price of XRP is below the 20-day EMA at $1.3540 and the 20-day Bollinger middle band at $1.3501. The 50-day EMA is at $1.4146, which makes it harder to go up from here. The 100-day and 200-day EMAs are also still much higher, which adds to the overall bearish trend.
Bollinger Bands Show Limited Expansion
The Bollinger Bands set the upper limit at about $1.4194 and the lower limit at about $1.2807. XRP price is currently in the lower half of that range, which means there isn’t much upward pressure. After a steep drop in February, recent candles have been moving sideways.
Source: TradingView
In March, there were a few small attempts to recover, but each rally stopped when it hit moving average resistance. That pattern shows that sellers still react when XRP gets close to important technical levels. Also, range-bound trading is often a sign that the market is waiting for a stronger story.
At the moment, the price action between $1.33 and $1.35 looks compressed. Bulls need a move above $1.3501 and $1.3540 to regain short-term control. Without that shift, bears may keep directing the market toward the lower Bollinger area near $1.2807.
Derivatives Data Reveals Weak Conviction
Futures positioning adds another layer to the story. XRP long liquidations dominated several sessions, with the largest spike reaching roughly $5.9 million in mid-March. That pattern showed that many bullish positions entered too early and then got forced out during weakness.
Source: Coinglass
Short liquidations also appeared, including a recent spike near $3.3 million around April 8. Even so, those liquidations did not produce a sustained upside move. Consequently, the market still lacks the force needed to turn brief squeezes into a durable rally.
Open interest now stands near $2.4 billion, far below earlier peaks near $10.8 billion. That drop points to much lower leveraged participation than previous months. Moreover, flat open interest during price stabilization suggests that many traders remain unconvinced by the current rebound.
Source: Coinglass
Final Take
The answer depends on whether XRP price can first reclaim the closer levels directly overhead. Bulls need to push the token above $1.36, then clear the $1.39 region with conviction. After that, the 50-day EMA near $1.4146 becomes the next major test.
If XRP price breaks those barriers, the path toward $1.44 becomes much more credible. Regulatory progress and Ripple’s Africa liquidity expansion could then support a better narrative. However, that bullish case still competes with weak demand, cautious sentiment, and unresolved geopolitical pressure.
