Calm Before The Storm as XRP Prepares for Massive Move?

TL;DR

• Ripple’s cross-border token has recorded a mere 0.5% increase on a weekly scale.
• However, the tightening bands of an important technical tool signal potential turbulence ahead.

Buckle up for Potential Volatility

Ripple’s XRP has been range-bound between $2.04 and $2.18 over the past week, currently hovering at $2.13 (per CoinGecko’s data). One key metric, though, suggests that this more or less calm period could be coming to an end as a major price action may be just around the corner.

The indicator in question is the Bollinger Bands, which, according to popular analyst Ali Martinez, has squeezed on the 4-hour chart. 

The technical tool, developed by John Bollinger in the 1980s, helps traders spot when an asset might be overbought or oversold, thus signaling possible reversal points. When the bands start to tighten, it usually means the token’s price has experienced relatively low volatility for a certain period. But that silence sometimes comes before a storm – either a massive surge or a sharp drop could be next.

The bands squeezed substantially towards the end of December when XRP’s price stood at around $2.10. In the following weeks, the asset experienced a real bull run and almost matched its all-time high.

While the tightening bands might have played their role, it is important to note that the token’s rally coincided with the exponential pump of the entire cryptocurrency market, where bitcoin (BTC) reached a peak of almost $110,000.

The Next Targets?

Some of the well-known analysts who made recent bullish predictions include the X users Brett and Captain Faibik. The former thinks XRP “eyes $2.60 as next frontier,” while the latter set a midterm target of $5.

Captain Faibik also advised investors to increase their exposure, assuming that the next bullish leg “will be explosive.” 

Outside of the aforementioned technical aspects, XRP might need a news catalyst to begin a new bull run. The lawsuit between Ripple and the US SEC seems to be coming to an end, and its future developments are unlikely to cause any major price swings. 

The focus has shifted to the potential approval of a spot XRP ETF in the US, which might drag more investors into the ecosystem and positively impact the asset’s valuation. The prominent entities racing to introduce such a product include Grayscale, 21Shares, Bitwise, Franklin Templeton, and others. The chances of a nod from the SEC before the end of 2025 currently stand at roughly 76% (according to Polymarket).

Partnerships, which Ripple might ink in the near future, can also play a positive role. Recall that earlier this month, the company spent over $1.2 billion to acquire prime brokerage giant Hidden Road, which many analysts believe could be a game-changer for XRP’s future price trajectory.