XRP Drops 60% to $1.35 as FUD Peaks, Wallets Climb

XRP slid roughly 60% from its July high of $3.66 to about $1.35 as negative sentiment around the token rose sharply. The price decline accelerated after the summer surge and continued into early 2026.

On-chain analytics firm Santiment reported that fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD) reached its third-highest level in the past two years. Santiment also recorded increased retail accumulation in mid-size wallets: addresses holding between 1,000 and 100,000 XRP rose by about 77,000 since October 2025 to reach roughly 1.1 million, and that cohort added more than 500 million XRP during the downturn.

Open interest in XRP futures dropped to $2.38 billion from a July 2025 peak of $10.94 billion, reflecting reduced derivatives exposure after the mid-2025 price run-up. Market participants have pared positions across futures markets since the earlier surge to $3.66.

Technical indicators show limited buying pressure. The daily Relative Strength Index is near 43. The MACD and its signal line sit slightly below neutral, with a small positive histogram. Price attempts to move higher have met repeated resistance near $1.74.

Market views are mixed. Santiment wrote, “Prices move in the opposite direction of the crowd’s expectations,” noting that extreme bearishness can precede a relief rally. On the social platform X, longtime Bitcoin adopter Lucky Luciano posted, “When everyone turns bearish, the bottom is usually close. XRP down -60%. FUD at peak. Patience pays.” Other participants warned that lower open interest and the resistance rejections could lead to further losses before any recovery.

Ripple Chief Executive Brad Garlinghouse has predicted that XRP could overtake Ethereum to become the second-largest crypto asset, a forecast some investors still support despite current market measures.

Retail discussion and optimism grew in mid to late 2024 and supported the token’s rise into 2025. Sentiment shifted in early 2025, the price fell through a key support level in February, and the decline deepened by October. The current combination of high negative sentiment, rising mid-size wallet accumulation, lower futures open interest and subdued technical indicators records the token’s recent path.