The price of XRP has fallen by almost 10% over the past month, despite a slight increase of 1.5% this week. The price remains confined within the range of 2.31–1.98 USD, after failing to break through this zone. This situation reflects a divide in market behaviors. Whales are selling at increases, while key groups of investors continue to accumulate.
This clash between two sides keeps the price of XRP in a descending wedge, which has not yet confirmed a pro-growth trend reversal.
Whales are reducing their positions, while key groups of holders are resisting pressure
Whale activity shows a clear turn towards caution. Wallets holding between 100 million and 1 billion XRP have reduced their balances from 8.32 billion to 8.27 billion since December 7. Another group, holding between 10 million and 100 million XRP, reduced their supply from 11.01 billion to 10.99 billion on December 8. In total, over the last 48 hours, whales sold about 70 million XRP, which at the current price amounts to about 143 million USD.
Sales are not large in terms of the number of tokens, but they occur at a key moment. This is exactly when the price of XRP is trying to stabilize. This selling pressure explains why every breakout attempt stalls before gaining momentum.
Meanwhile, medium- and short-term buyers serve as a counterbalance, which is well seen on the HODL Waves indicator charts. This indicator shows how many XRP coins are held in various 'age brackets' of investors, that is, how long the tokens have not changed owners.
The reading of the chart indicates that the 1-3 month group increased from 8.52% to 10.31%. Additionally, the 3-6 month group also jumped from 9.40% to 10.87%.
These investors usually accumulate as they believe that the selling pressure is weakening. Moreover, their purchases during a monthly decline of 10% suggest that they are counting on a breakout of the price from the descending wedge. Therefore, the division in investor behavior shows that XRP is under clear pressure from two forces: whales are selling, while active buyers are catching dips.
This tension keeps the price of XRP continuously within the same, narrowing channel, and the recent daily candle closes indicate a prolonged consolidation without clear directions.
The breakout from the descending wedge is still valid.
XRP is forming a descending wedge, a pattern that usually favors breakouts upward — but only if buyers force a clear breakout. For now, the price of the altcoin is not touching the walls of the wedge, as whale selling limits momentum, and accumulation prevents a stronger decline.
An important breakout level occurs around 2.46 USD, where the declining trend line meets the current quotes. The price of XRP needs a strong daily close above this level to confirm the reversal. Then the next targets are 2.61 USD, 2.83 USD, and 3.11 USD.
As long as the price remains between 2.31 USD and 1.98 USD, the wedge remains valid. A breakout down below 1.98 USD will weaken this structure and reveal the level of 1.82 USD, which is the threshold of the previous support.
At this moment, the forecast is straightforward. Whale selling delays the breakout, while accumulation in the medium term keeps the structure alive. The wedge will not resolve until one side clearly takes the advantage. Therefore, XRP investors should closely monitor levels that could determine the next move of the altcoin's price.
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