XRP whales dump billions; price falls as distribution accelerates
XRP plunged about 6% on Dec. 1 to near $2.02 after large whale wallets — those holding 1 million+ XRP — sold off a substantial portion of their holdings. On-chain data from Santiment shows whale balances fell from above ~70 billion XRP to roughly 57 billion in the latest snapshot, marking one of the steepest single-week reductions of 2025 and ending months of accumulation that began mid-year. The Accumulation/Distribution (A/D) line has trended down since August and sits near 8.14 billion, indicating sustained selling pressure even during short rebounds. Technically, XRP failed to clear the $2.30–$2.35 resistance and formed a lower high; the 6% drop pushes price toward the multi-week channel’s lower range, with $1.90 noted as a key psychological support. Traders should watch whether buyers defend $1.90 or allow a break that could prompt deeper corrections. Primary keywords: XRP, whale selling, on-chain data. Secondary/semantic keywords: Accumulation/Distribution, distribution trend, resistance, support, Santiment, price drop.
Bearish
Large-scale whale selling is a clear source of supply-side pressure. Santiment data showing a drop from ~70B to ~57B XRP held by top cohorts indicates a meaningful token release into the market; combined with a falling Accumulation/Distribution line, this points to sustained distribution by informed holders rather than short-term profit-taking. Technically, failure to reclaim $2.20–$2.30 resistance and the formation of a lower high confirm a downtrend that the recent 6% intraday drop reinforced. Short-term impact: heightened volatility and downside risk — traders may see increased sell orders as whales and momentum traders react, making bounce attempts fragile. Key short-term levels to monitor are $1.90 (support) and $2.20–$2.30 (resistance). Long-term impact: if whales continue distribution and no fresh demand materializes, price could drift lower as supply pressure persists; conversely, sustained accumulation by retail or new institutional bids at lower prices would be required to reverse the trend. Historical parallels: similar whale-led distributions across major altcoins have produced multi-week corrections (e.g., past large-cohort sell-offs in 2021–2022), where price only stabilized after on-chain holdings stopped declining and A/D reversed. Overall, the news increases downside bias until on-chain metrics and price structure show renewed accumulation.