XRP is struggling to maintain $1.35. The market is preparing for further declines. Beneath the price action, a quietly growing group of investors appears to have reached a different conclusion.

The data published by the Darkfost analyst shows a discrepancy in behavior that is not reflected in the scatter plot. Despite one of the most hostile altcoin environments in living memory, XRP has maintained a well-defined range between $1.30 and $1.50 for several months – a degree of structural resilience that stands out from the broader altcoin market, where more than 40% of assets have reached or approached record lows.

Price tells one story. The data on the chain says otherwise. Since overdue February, Binance has seen a marked augment in XRP activity – a pattern that Darkfost identifies as consistent with gradual accumulation rather than distribution. Investors do not sell in this range. More and more of them apply it.

XRP is still over 60% below its last all-time high. This fact is not disputed. It is debatable whether the current price represents a continuation of decline or the peaceful creation of a base that the broader market has not yet recognized.

The data is starting to suggest the latter. The price has not confirmed this yet.

Coins come out. The question is: where are they going and why.

Darkfost is on the chain breakdown gives the accumulation signal its purest form. Since overdue February, the number of outbound trades on Binance has increased, with multiple days seeing over 4,000 trades, with single-day highs approaching 6,000. These are not enormous institutional moves happening out of sight. They represent a enormous number of individual withdrawal events occurring repeatedly, in the same direction, over an extended period of time.

The trade size profile makes the signal reliable rather than random. Activity is concentrated in the range of 1,000 to 100,000 XRP – a range that suits mid-sized investors, not whales executing a strategy or institutions rebalancing their portfolios.

This is retail and semi-institutional capital that is making an informed decision: withdrawing XRP from the exchange, transferring it to a private depository and removing it from the sell-side available pool. This behavior, repeated over thousands of transactions, is the definition of the gradual accumulation phase.

Darkfos formulates the question with appropriate precision. The accumulation is real and measurable. Whether it will be enough to push XRP out of the $1.30-$1.50 range – and re-ignite a bullish trend that the broader altcoin market has failed to realize this cycle – depends on whether this peaceful buying pressure finally overcomes the general resistance that has capped every attempted rally since February.

A base may be forming. The breakthrough did not come.

XRP Holds Key Support as Downtrend Loses Momentum

XRP is currently trading in a range of $1.30-$1.35, stabilizing after a long-term downtrend that began near the $2.40 area earlier this year. The chart shows a clear sequence of lower highs and lower lows, confirming the continued bearish pattern over recent months.

However, recent price action suggests a potential change in dynamics. Since February’s acute selloff, XRP has entered a tight consolidation range, repeatedly finding support near the $1.25-$1.30 zone. This level has now been tested multiple times without a decisive break, indicating that buyers are actively absorbing selling pressure.

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From a trend perspective, XRP remains below the 50-day, 100-day and 200-day moving averages, all of which are trending lower. This confirms that the broader trend is still down and any near-term strengths are corrective rather than structural.

Attempts to push higher were constrained. The rejection near the $1.50 level confirms that this is a key resistance, limiting the growth momentum in the current range.

Volume patterns add context. The biggest spikes occurred during capitulation phases, while recent activity has normalized, suggesting a reduction in panic selling.

Structurally, XRP is compressive. A break above $1.50 would mean a rebound, while a loss of $1.25 could result in another leg down.

Featured image from ChatGPT, chart from TradingView.com