XRP Whales Accumulate as Retail Cools; $1.34 Tested
XRP’s price has fallen about 5% over the past week and slipped to 4th by market cap, losing momentum to BNB. Analysts say this weakness is coinciding with a shift in who is buying: retail interest has cooled, while “Ripple whales” are stepping up.
Market observer “CW” claims XRP accumulation is coming mainly from large holders. CW says wallets have added both spot and futures XRP positions, calling the setup “very ideal.” He also argues that whales have been accumulating for over a year and typically only buy at bottoms before an uptrend starts. CW points to heavy whale buying when XRP traded roughly between $0.30 and $1.30, and says attention has moved to a new range cluster around $1.20 and $3.00. CW concludes whales “are only buying,” not selling into retail.
On the technical side, analyst Ali Martinez flags XRP breaking out of a symmetrical triangle on the 4-hour chart, projecting a potential 30% move. However, he notes the current breakout looks more bearish in the short term. CryptoWZRD highlights $1.34 as a key support level, currently being tested, and suggests XRP could bounce toward $1.43 if it holds.
Overall, the mix of whale accumulation signals and the $1.34 support test could shape XRP’s next swing trading move in both directions, depending on whether the market confirms the technical breakout.
Bullish
The article frames the recent XRP weakness as a retail “cooling” phase while large holders accumulate spot and futures XRP. That kind of bid imbalance often supports downside stabilization and can improve the odds of a rebound once key support holds. The bullish case is reinforced by the stated pattern that whales buy at bottoms before uptrends and by the immediate technical focus on $1.34 support, with a potential bounce target near $1.43.
However, near-term risk remains because the symmetrical triangle breakout could be initially bearish, meaning traders may see a short dip before any sustained recovery. In the short term, watch whether XRP holds $1.34 and whether futures positioning remains net-accumulative. If support breaks, the whale narrative may delay but not immediately prevent a further sell-off. In the medium to long term, sustained whale accumulation typically improves market stability by reducing free-float supply pressure and can fuel trend resumption after consolidation—similar to prior cycle moments when dominant holders absorbed liquidity near local lows.