XRP and ether bulls are getting louder as prices fall, signaling more trouble ahead

Markets XRP and ether bulls are getting louder as prices fall, signaling more trouble ahead Social media chatter turned most bullish on XRP in five weeks even as the token fell, a setup that has historically favored sellers. By Shaurya Malwa | Edited by Oliver Knight Jul 14, 2026, 10:27 a.m. 1 min read Make preferred on Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email Make preferred on Image of a crypto trader aka degen (Anjo Clacino/Unsplash, modified by CoinDesk) Summary Show Retail traders are heavily buying XRP and ether even as their prices fall, a pattern analysts often view as a warning of further short-term downside rather than an imminent rebound. Social media sentiment on Monday was strongly bullish for XRP and ether but only neutral for bitcoin, suggesting speculative crowd enthusiasm is concentrated in smaller tokens instead of the broader market. Analysts at Santiment say bitcoin’s relatively flat sentiment looks healthier, as rallies tend to have more room to run when investors have not already piled into the higher-priced, more established asset. Retail traders are piling into XRP and ether while both tokens slip, the kind of crowd behavior that more often precedes further downside than a bounce. XRP drew 3.02 bullish social media comments for every bearish one on Monday, its most positive reading in five weeks, according to Santiment. Ether ran at 2.31 and bitcoin at 1.40, which the firm classified as neutral. Bitcoin and ether both opened higher and faded through the day, so the loudest enthusiasm is landing on the assets that are falling. Sentiment readings like these are used as contrarian signals, because crowd excitement usually peaks near local tops. "Crypto typically moves opposite to what the crowd is loudly expecting," Santiment wrote, adding that heavy bullishness on XRP or ether while prices dip can add short-term downside risk or slow any rebound. Bitcoin's flat reading is the healthier one, meanwhile. Retail chasing the smaller tokens while staying neutral on bitcoin is narrow speculation, not broad greed, and rallies have more room when the crowd hasn't already crowded into the higher-prices trade. XRP traded near $1.09 on Monday, down on the week. XRP News Ethereum News Latest Crypto News 1 Live updates: Bitcoin holds $62,600 as the Iran conflict reignites and CPI looms 3 hours ago 2 U.S. government moves $288 million in seized bitcoin, ether to Coinbase Prime 3 hours ago 3 Solo bitcoin miner makes $200,000 using $150 equipment 5 hours ago 4 Bitcoin slips as traders lift July Fed rate hike bets ahead of Inflation report 7 hours ago 5 Binance.US CEO says exchange is rebuilding, eyes return to 20% U.S. market share 14 hours ago 6 Franklin Crypto CIO says crypto prices are disconnected from fundamentals 14 hours ago 7 TeraWulf CEO: 'Not All Megawatts Are Created Equally' in AI Race 14 hours ago 8 Trump's crypto riches loom over Clarity Act talks to ban conflicts for U.S. officials 16 hours ago 9 Mizuho says Circle bank approval doesn't solve USDC growth, stablecoin competition risks 17 hours ago 10 Bitcoin panic-selling may be ending as sellers' profit margins disappear 18 hours ago Latest Research Gate Leads Spot Market Share Gains as CEX Volumes Rise for First Time in Five Months Gate Leads Spot Market Share Gains as CEX Volumes Rise for First Time in Five Months CEX trading volumes rose for the first time in five months in June, with spot climbing 15.3% to $1.11T and RWA perpetual volumes surging to a record $311B. By CoinDesk Research 23 hours ago CEX trading volumes rose for the first time in five months in June, with spot climbing 15.3% to $1.11T and RWA perpetual volumes surging to a record $311B. Why it matters : CEX trading volumes rose for the first time in five months in June, with spot climbing 15.3% to $1.11T and RWA perpetual volumes surging to a record $311B. View Full Report More From Markets U.S. government moves $288 million in seized bitcoin, ether to Coinbase Prime Solo bitcoin miner makes $200,000 using $150 equipment Bitcoin slips as traders lift July Fed rate hike bets ahead of Inflation report