The altcoin’s losses come amid overall bearish market sentiment.
Ripple token XRP fell 5% as the cryptocurrency market saw fresh selling pressure in early trading on December 18, 2025.
With major altcoins extending recent declines, Ripple’s cryptocurrency dipped to lows of $1.81.
Amid this broader risk aversion, XRP, one of the top-performing assets earlier in the year, risks slipping further.
The XRP token traded around $1.83 at the time of writing.
After breaking lower on Tuesday, prices were down 5% in the past 24 hours as sellers rejected advances at $1.98.
It looked as though they could test bullish sentiment around the $1.80 support zone.
On Thursday, the altcoin touched lows of $1.81, declines that put prices at risk of downside acceleration.
As market data shows, falling price action is accompanied by elevated trading volumes.
Normally, this suggests active distribution rather than isolated panic selling.
This decline aligns with weakness across the altcoin sector, as Bitcoin hovered below the key threshold of $90,000.
Negative sentiment across traditional risk assets is contributing to the selling pressure. Headwinds include macroeconomic uncertainty.
The breach of $1.90 flips the former support at $2.00 into potential overhead resistance.
XRP’s recent moves reinforce bearish control in the near term.
Technical indicators, including a downward-sloping 50-day exponential moving average and downsloping RSI readings, indicate waning momentum.
Meanwhile, derivatives markets have seen increased liquidations on long positions, further exacerbating the downside pressure.
Whale activity also remains mixed.
Despite some large holders accumulating during dips, overall on-chain metrics show heightened distribution from older cohorts.
This dynamic has contributed to the failure of recent rebound attempts, and the reason XRP bulls have found themselves pushed below the $2.00 psychological mark.
From a technical standpoint, the outlook for XRP means bears have an upper hand.
Veteran trader Peter Brandt has issued a bearish warning for XRP, identifying a potential “double-top” reversal pattern on its price chart.
This technical setup suggests a possible trend reversal if the asset fails to breach established resistance levels.
Brandt’s caution highlights a growing divergence between technical indicators and Ripple’s strengthening fundamentals, which include recent stablecoin expansions and new institutional tools.
While acknowledging the pattern could fail, Brandt maintains that the current formation signals waning momentum.
Consequently, market focus shifts to XRP’s key support levels as investors weigh technical risks against the ecosystem’s long-term adoption efforts.
A sustained break below current levels could see bears targeting the next major support area at $1.70 and potentially $1.50.
However, counterfactors could provide relief for buyers.
Notably, spot XRP ETFs have maintained consistent inflows.
XRP ETFs saw $9.84 million worth of inflows on December 17 according to data by Coinglass.
Confidence in XRP’s long-term outlook means reclaiming $2.00 would open the door for a sentiment flip.
If there’s a rebound toward $2.30, further upside momentum potentially has $3.00 into play.
