XRP Grinds Through Choppy Waters as Resistance Looms

XRP’s price action stalls at key technical barriers—traders brace for another leg down or a surprise breakout.

Volatility compression signals big move ahead, but which way? The token’s correlation with Bitcoin remains its lifeline... or its deadweight.

Meanwhile, institutional players keep pretending they ’never doubted the utility’ while quietly trimming positions. Classic finance theater.

XRP Faces Crucial Moment on May 21

As the price fell to the $2 range and recovered quickly, the “buy the dip” strategy gained traction. On-chain data reveals increased balances per wallet, suggesting long-term investors are accumulating rather than selling. New additions to liquidity pools hint at limited sell pressure. For short-term traders, the $2.31 – $2.15 range presents both risks and opportunities. Over the last 12 months, three significant bounces occurred in this range, each resulting in more than a 15% price reaction.

Technically, the 100-day EMA remaining beneath the price supports a bullish scenario. However, increasing volatility urges caution in Leveraged positions.

In the options market, interest in contracts expiring on May 21 indicates traders expect an upward surprise. However, the final direction depends on the volume in the spot market.

Potential Impact of Geopolitical Tensions on XRP’s Price

The trading tensions between the US and China are affecting not only stock and bond markets but also cryptocurrencies. Washington’s controls on semiconductor exports have sparked retaliation talk in Beijing, weakening risk appetite. During such times, traditional investors tend to withdraw from volatile assets. The initial movement usually occurs in Bitcoin (BTC)$105,628, with subsequent activity in major altcoins like XRP.

However, XRP’s “payment infrastructure” vision can buffer against geopolitical news flows. Interbank transfer pilots are strengthening the long-term use case for the altcoin, swiftly attracting bottom-fishers during DEEP sales. Analysts predict that breaking the $2.61 level could trigger substantial buying, while failure to do so might lead the price to seek balance around $2.15, influenced by external news flows.