Whales unloaded nearly 190 million XRP over the past 48 hours, a sharp burst of selling that sent fresh jitters through the market on Thursday. Crypto analyst Ali Martinez flagged the move on social media, tweeting, “190 million $XRP sold by whales in the last 48 hours,” an alarm that on-chain trackers and crypto outlets quickly amplified as traders scanned charts for fallout.
Measured in dollars at current levels, those sales amount to roughly $400 million, a nontrivial sum for a single token over such a short window, and equal about 0.32% of XRP’s circulating supply, underlining how a handful of large holders can still steer price action.
The market, however, did not collapse: XRP was trading around $2.11–$2.12 as the liquidations were reported, with a market capitalization north of $127 billion and daily volumes in the single-digit billions. That mix of heavy volume and modest price movement suggests sellers found ready bids even as they trimmed positions.
Technically, analysts say the token’s short-term picture is tilted toward caution. On lower timeframes, XRP has shown bearish signals, moving-average patterns and momentum oscillators that point to weakening buying pressure, and several analytics shops warn that a loss of key support could open the door to deeper pullbacks.
Short-term models shared by crypto analysts expect the XRP price to trade in a narrow band near current levels in the coming days unless a fresh catalyst appears. That caution is echoed in on-chain and technical reads showing the 50-period averages flattening or turning down in the last week.
What to Expect Next
What traders are watching now is whether this whale-driven unloading is a one-off rebalancing, profit taking ahead of the U.S. holiday calendar and broader macro risk events, or the start of a larger distribution phase. Parts of the crypto press flagged that whale activity popped up alongside a broadly mixed market backdrop: Bitcoin has been oscillating in the low-to-mid $90k range while altcoins hunt for leadership.
Some market commentators argue that altcoins, XRP included, remain vulnerable to headlines around regulatory clarity and institutional flows, which can quickly amplify flows from large holders. Even with the recent selling, there are reasons bulls are reluctant to concede the narrative entirely.
XRP’s price remains well above where many retail holders bought into the rally earlier this year, and a steady stream of institutional interest in crypto infrastructure, ETF speculation and legacy regulatory updates have repeatedly swung sentiment in XRP’s favor this cycle. Still, sellers offloading almost 200 million tokens in two days is a reminder that until the concentration of supply loosens, outsized moves by whales can spark outsized volatility.
For traders, the practical takeaway is simple: expect choppy price action and manage position size. Support near the $2.00 area and resistance in the low-$2.40s will be watched closely; if buyers reassert control and absorb the selling, XRP could consolidate and resume a slow climb, but a break below key support would likely bring further downside calls from short-term traders.
Analysts differ on the magnitude. Some forecasts keep a December range only slightly below today’s price, while others sketch steeper correction scenarios if macro liquidity tightens. As always with whale activity, context matters: large wallets move for many reasons, profit taking, tax or accounting maneuvers, rebalancing across strategies, or market-making flows.
The market’s response in the next 24–72 hours should make it clearer whether Thursday’s dump was an isolated liquidity event or the opening act of a broader reprice. Traders and observers will be glued to order books, on-chain flows and headlines for the next push in either direction.
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