XRP is having a red-hot run over the last 24 hours as the token continues to break critical resistance levels, potentially targeting the $3 mark.
At press time, XRP was trading at $2.83, a gain of almost 10% in the past day. In the weekly timeframe, the token has surged by over 20%.
This short-term momentum has been characterized by significant buying interest, pushing the market cap to $163 billion—an increase of nearly $20 billion in the last 24 hours.
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XRP’s path to $3
The current rally can be tied to several factors, with regulatory developments appearing to play a significant role. For instance, XRP is gaining momentum ahead of Gary Gensler’s exit from the SEC.
Notably, the regulator has long been viewed as a barrier to cryptocurrency sector growth, and the XRP community, in particular, has been at odds with Gensler following the SEC’s lawsuit against Ripple.
Additionally, Sean Dawson, head of research at the on-chain protocol Derive, believes the ongoing rally could be linked to the possibility of an XRP exchange-traded fund (ETF) being listed later this year.
The general cryptocurrency market sentiment remains bullish, bolstered by Donald Trump’s upcoming inauguration. Trump is expected to sign executive orders on crypto on his first day in office, potentially a bullish development for XRP.
With these fundamentals in play, one lingering question is whether XRP can reclaim the $3 level, viewed as a major juncture toward triggering the asset’s next record high.
To this end, XRP’s technical setup supports the possibility of the asset hitting $3 in the coming days. One outlook was shared by pseudonymous X analyst LordOfAlts, who noted that XRP is breaking out of a descending parallel channel, signaling a bullish shift after weeks of consolidation.
The breakout, marked by sustained higher lows, has strong momentum, pushing the Ripple token toward the $3 target.
Cryptocurrency trading expert MikybullCrypto also opined that XRP could aim for a new record high after breaking key Fibonacci levels. The expert projects $3.25 (at the 1.272 Fib extension) as the next target, supported by strong bases at $2.24 (the 0.382 Fib) and $2.47 (0.618 Fib).
XRP’s whale transactions impact
Meanwhile, whale activity seems to be driving momentum, and the sustainability of this transaction might be central to XRP hitting $3. In this line, data shared by prominent on-chain analyst Ali Martinez on January 15 shows 341 transactions exceeding $1 million in the past 24 hours.
At the same time, previous Finbold reports shared analysts’ predictions of higher XRP targets in the coming days. For instance, The Great Mattsby forecasts XRP is “just days” away from an all-time high breakout, while World of Charts predicts XRP could hit $4 in the “next couple of days.”
On a more ambitious note, technical analyst Gert van Lagen speculates that if XRP replicates its 2017-2018 cycle performance, the token’s next target could be as high as $100.
Overall, XRP’s short-term structure looks strong. The price is well above its 50-day simple moving average (SMA) of $2.25 and 200-day SMA of $1.00, signaling bullish momentum.
However, risks of a pullback remain. The 14-day relative strength index (RSI) at 65.41 is nearing overbought levels, while a Fear & Greed Index of 70 (Greed) suggests optimism may wane. Volatility at 5.83% also leaves XRP vulnerable to sharp price swings.
Featured image via Shutterstock
