XRP’s $1.00 Cliff: Whales Are Hoarding While Retail Panics—Here’s the Brutal Truth About What Comes Next

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(SeaPRwire) –   By: Lucas Caldwell

XRP is teetering on a knife edge above $1.00, and the split between whales and retail tells a story most are missing. The token’s recent slide below $1.05 turned that once-supportive level into a brick wall of resistance. Every technical indicator is screaming caution, but the big players aren’t selling—they’re buying quietly, even as small investors dump their holdings.

As of Friday, XRP trades at $1.03-$1.04, fresh off its lowest daily close of 2026 at $1.02. It broke an ascending support trendline and retested June lows, cementing weeks of bearish pressure. ChartNerdTA flagged the break on July 31, noting repeated rejections from 20-day and 50-day EMAs and failed attempts to reclaim $1.16-$1.24 resistance.

The $1.00 level isn’t just psychological—it’s a key 0.618 Fibonacci retracement from XRP’s multi-year advance. Rocksorgate calls it a make-or-break zone: break it on high volume, and the bullish structure shatters. RSI hovers at 37-38 (near oversold), MACD is negative, and all major moving averages (10 to 200 EMA) are sending sell signals.

Santiment data shows whales are accumulating: wallets holding 100M-1B XRP now own 11.79% of circulating supply, up from 11.65% the day before. Exchange balances are dropping, meaning big holders are moving tokens off platforms—usually a sign they’re holding long-term. Retail, meanwhile, is reducing exposure, spooked by the downward trend.

Crypto Patel, who correctly called a 72% drop from XRP’s cycle top in July 2025, now targets a $0.65-$0.85 accumulation zone. He expects another 20-40% downside before any major recovery, with long-term targets of $3, $5, $7, and $10+. The Fear & Greed Index sits at 29—deep in Fear territory, up slightly from 25 the day before.

If XRP breaks $1.00 on heavy volume, the floodgates will open, and we’ll see prices plunge to Crypto Patel’s accumulation zone faster than most traders can hit sell.

Author bio: Lucas Caldwell, a tech opinion leader with millions of followers on X/Twitter, analyzes crypto market trends and institutional behavior.