XRP News Today: XRP Drops 8.5% in Week Amid Futures Launch Concerns

XRP has experienced a significant decline, dropping 8.5% over the past week and trading below $2.50 for the last four days. This downward trend has raised concerns among analysts, who point to the launch of XRP futures as a potential catalyst for price manipulation. Tactics such as naked shorting and rehypothecation are cited as major concerns, with historical data showing that similar futures launches for Bitcoin and Ethereum led to sharp price drops. Critics fear that XRP could follow the same path, especially around expiration dates when large investors, or "whales," often push prices down.

Despite these concerns, some analysts see the launch of XRP futures as a step toward institutional adoption and a possible spot ETF. However, the current technical indicators paint a bearish picture. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) for XRP is at 42.34, indicating neither overbought nor oversold conditions, but the recent dip from 52.32 suggests weakening momentum or early signs of bearish pressure. If the RSI continues to fall, it could indicate further downside risk in the short term.

The Ichimoku Cloud chart also reveals a bearish shift in momentum. The price is currently trading below the blue Tenkan-sen (conversion line) and the red Kijun-sen (base line), indicating short-term and medium-term weakness. Additionally, the Kumo (cloud) ahead has turned red and widened slightly, reflecting growing resistance and potential downward pressure in the near future. The Chikou Span (green lagging line) is also positioned below the price and cloud, confirming the bearish outlook from a lagging perspective.

With the price struggling to stay above the cloud and unable to break through key resistance levels, the setup suggests that XRP is still in a corrective phase. Unless it can reclaim the Tenkan-sen and move decisively into the cloud, downside risk remains elevated. The EMA lines are beginning to converge, and a potential death cross—where the short-term EMA crosses below the long-term EMA—could soon confirm a bearish trend. If this formation occurs, XRP price may test the support level at $2.30. A breakdown below that could open the door to further declines toward $2.158, and in the case of strong downward momentum, possibly as low as $2.07.

However, if XRP can reverse course and regain bullish momentum, the first key resistance to watch is $2.449. A clean break above this level would improve the technical outlook and could trigger a rally toward $2.65—an upside of approximately 14%.