XRP (XRP) has had a rough week, dropping about 9% even as something curious happens behind the scenes: institutions keep buying through ETFs while everyone else seems to be heading for the exits.
The numbers tell an interesting story. XRP is trading at $1.87 with a market cap of $113.7 billion, down 9% over seven days. That's worse than Bitcoin (BTC), which fell 6.3% to $86,550, but better than Ethereum (ETH), which got hammered for 15.3% and now sits at $2,852.96.
The ETF Picture Looks Different
According to SoSoValue data, XRP ETFs logged $8.54 million in net inflows on Dec. 16. That's not a massive number, but here's what makes it notable: on that same day, Bitcoin and Ethereum spot ETFs saw sharp outflows of $277 million and $224 million, respectively.
Since their launch, U.S. spot XRP ETFs have attracted over $1 billion in net inflows and posted 22 straight days of inflows with zero outflows. That's a pretty clean track record.
TedLabs Bio co-founder Niels pointed out that the steady buying suggests institutions are accumulating methodically, making XRP a relative standout as broader crypto ETF demand wavers.
What Traders Are Watching
Cryptoinsightuk noted that XRP has already absorbed most downside liquidity, with limited support below around $1.83 and heavy liquidity stacked above $2.27 to $2.60.
On higher timeframes, XRP is sitting at the lower end of a long-standing range that has historically offered strong risk-reward setups. A reclaim of roughly $2.07 could trigger a fast squeeze toward $2.58 to $2.60.
The trader argues that crypto is deeply undervalued relative to traditional assets and is currently in a high-conviction risk-to-reward buying zone, particularly for Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, and ENA.
Expanding Utility
On the development front, Wormhole announced that XRP will be usable alongside RLUSD as a core trading and liquidity pair. XRP's role in on-chain liquidity and payments continues to expand, even as short-term sentiment stays cautious.
Meanwhile, CME has launched spot-quoted XRP and SOL futures, expanding its existing spot-quoted Bitcoin and Ether futures lineup. All of these contracts are also available for trading across the four major U.S. equity indices.
