XRP slumps as bitcoin once again falls back to $85,000 level after surge

Markets Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email XRP slumps as bitcoin once again falls back to $85,000 level after surge Crypto markets swung sharply Thursday following a softer-than-expected U.S. CPI print, which briefly lifted bitcoin above $89,000 during U.S. hours. By Shaurya Malwa , CD Analytics Updated Dec 18, 2025, 7:56 p.m. Published Dec 18, 2025, 7:56 p.m. (CoinDesk Data) What to know : XRP declined 1.2% amid high trading volume, indicating significant market activity despite price struggles. The cryptocurrency remains under pressure, failing to surpass the critical $2.00 level, which is seen as a key inflection point. Elevated trading volume without sustained price gains suggests distribution rather than panic-driven selling. XRP edged lower during a volatile session, but the decline came alongside sharply elevated volume — a signal that large players were active even as price struggled to hold key technical levels. News background Crypto markets swung sharply Thursday following a softer-than-expected U.S. CPI print, which briefly lifted bitcoin above $89,000 during U.S. hours. That move faded quickly, however, with crypto once again lagging equities, which remained firmly positive on the day. The rapid reversal reinforced a pattern that has become familiar in recent weeks: macro-driven rallies in crypto struggling to sustain momentum as positioning thins and sellers reassert control. Within that backdrop, XRP remained under pressure after failing to reclaim the $2.00 area earlier this month — a level many analysts view as a structural inflection point. Technical analysis XRP continues to trade below its major moving averages, with the loss of the $1.93–$2.00 zone keeping the broader structure tilted to the downside. Former support near $1.93 has now flipped into resistance, aligning with key Fibonacci retracement levels and capping rebound attempts. STORY CONTINUES BELOW Don't miss another story. Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today . See all newsletters Sign me up By signing up, you will receive emails about CoinDesk products and you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . While daily momentum indicators show early signs of stabilization — including a developing bullish RSI divergence flagged by several technicians — price has yet to confirm that signal. Until XRP can regain traction above short-term resistance, rallies remain vulnerable to renewed selling. Price action summary XRP fell 1.2% to $1.84 over the session, trading across a wide $0.10 range, or roughly 5.4%. Price initially recovered from support near $1.84 before surging to $1.93 on strong volume, only to reverse sharply as sell orders emerged at resistance. Trading volume jumped as much as 147% above the 24-hour average during the afternoon selloff, peaking near 155 million tokens as XRP slid back toward session lows. The heaviest activity clustered near the highs and during the subsequent breakdown, suggesting distribution rather than panic-driven liquidation. Late-session trading saw XRP stabilize just above $1.84, but bids remained thin, and follow-through buying was limited as the token closed beneath all major short- and medium-term trend markers. What traders should know Support: $1.84 is the immediate level to watch, with deeper support near $1.73 and macro support around $1.64 Resistance: $1.93 remains the first major ceiling, followed by $1.98 and the $2.00 psychological zone Volume signal: Elevated activity without upside continuation points to positioning and distribution Bias: Cautious while below $1.93; technical relief rallies need confirmation Until XRP can reclaim former support with sustained acceptance, price action suggests consolidation or further downside remains more likely than a clean reversal — even as momentum indicators hint that selling pressure may be slowing. More For You Protocol Research: GoPlus Security By CoinDesk Research Nov 14, 2025 Commissioned by GoPlus What to know : As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M. GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month. Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B. 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