XRP Price Crash Explained: Why It’s Down for 13 of the Last 14 Days Amid Global Tensions
Introduction to the
XRP, the token linked to Ripple, has seen a rough ride lately. It dropped for <13 of the last 14 days>, losing 16% from its recent high of $2.357 last Wednesday. On January 19, 2026, it hit a low of $1.8470 during a flash crash—the lowest since early January. Now, it’s trading around $1.97, down 3.22% from yesterday’s $2.062 after a small bounce.
This ongoing slide has traders worried. What’s causing this
The Flash Crash: What Happened on January 19?
XRP fell below the key $2.00 level over the weekend. Then, on Monday, it crashed over 7% intraday on exchanges like Binance, touching $1.84. This quick drop triggered panic selling across crypto.
Bitcoin also dipped 3.79% in one hour, from $95,500 to $91,900, before recovering to $92,800. The whole market felt the pain, but XRP stood out with its sharp move.
After the low, XRP bounced to $1.97. This forms a potential bullish pin bar on the chart—a candle with a long lower wick showing buyers stepped in at support around $1.90. But don’t get too excited yet; the big picture is still bearish.
Massive Liquidations Fuel the Fire
The crash wiped out $40.36 million in XRP positions over 12 hours. Almost all—$39.14 million or 96%—came from long bets. Data from Coinglass shows $29.7 million in XRP long liquidations on Monday alone, the biggest since November 2025.
This was part of a $873.31 million crypto liquidation wave, with $787.75 million from longs. When leveraged positions get hit, it creates a cascade of selling, pushing prices lower fast.
- Total crypto liquidations: $873M
- XRP liquidations: $40M (mostly longs)
- Bitcoin drop: 3.79% in 1 hour
Joel Kruger, a crypto strategist, said: “Crypto markets face heavy downside pressure amid worse global risk sentiment. Geopolitical and trade tensions drive the drop.”
Macro Headwinds: Geopolitics and Trade Wars
The real culprits are big global events shaking risk assets like crypto.
Trump’s Greenland Tariffs Spark Trade War Fears
President Trump proposed tariffs on eight European countries over Greenland issues. The EU now plans counter-tariffs on up to €93 billion ($100 billion) of US goods. They might use a new “anti-coercion tool” for the first time.
Samer Hasn, Senior Market Analyst at XS.com, noted: “A new front opens in the Atlantic as Europe braces for trade war. Trump made Greenland a market shaker.” US stock futures opened lower as fears spread.
Fed Independence in Crisis
Adding fuel, a criminal probe into Fed Chair Jerome Powell has stalled leadership changes. This raises doubts about Fed autonomy, leading to a flight from dollar assets. Markets hate uncertainty, especially in central banks.
Hasn added: “Institutional friction hits sentiment hard. It’s a shift from market basics to geopolitical drama.” Long-term, a “politicized dollar” could boost crypto as an alternative.
Technical Analysis: Bearish Structure Rules
XRP’s chart screams bearish. It’s down in 13 of 14 sessions—worst streak since November 2025. Price sits below the 50 EMA ($2.02) and 200 EMA ($2.56), confirming the downtrend.
For months, XRP trades in a downward-sloping regression channel. Rallies hit resistance, forming lower highs. Each bounce fails, pushing to new lows.
Key bearish targets:
- $1.61 – April 2025 lows
- $1.25 – 2024 minimums
For a bullish flip, XRP needs to break the channel up, reclaim 200 EMA at $2.56, and clear $2.40 resistance. That looks unlikely now.
The pin bar at $1.90 offers short-term hope, but structure overrides it. Stay cautious.
What Is Ripple and XRP?
Ripple launched in 2012 by Jed McCaleb and Chris Larsen. It’s a network for fast, cheap cross-border payments using XRP as a bridge asset. XRP ranks third by market cap after Bitcoin and Ethereum.
The open-source platform works with any currency—USD, EUR, Yen, or even other cryptos. Banks and firms use it as a gateway for transfers. Despite price woes, Ripple grows ties with finance.
Recent news: LMAX partnered with Ripple on a $150M deal to use RLUSD stablecoin for trading collateral. TradFi and crypto are merging, even as XRP slides.
Short-Term vs. Long-Term Outlook
Short-term: Bearish. Expect tests at $1.61, maybe $1.25 if selling continues. Watch $1.90 support.
Long-term: Mixed. Geopolitical mess could hurt now but help crypto later if trust in fiat drops. XRP’s utility in payments shines in chaos.
Dreams of $100? Unrealistic soon. From $1.97, that’s a 5,000%+ jump, pushing market cap over $5.6 trillion—bigger than all crypto today.
Final Thoughts: Navigate the Storm
The
Track real-time updates, EMAs, and channels to stay ahead. Crypto is volatile—risk management is key.
What do you think? Will XRP bounce or break lower? Share in comments.
