As of around 5:00 a.m. ET on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, XRP was trading near $1.87, extending a choppy pullback that has kept the Ripple-linked token below the $2 psychological level for much of this week. [1]
XRP’s soft tone comes as traders juggle two competing narratives: macro-driven risk aversion (including renewed attention on Japanese yields and the yen carry trade) versus still-strong institutional product momentum tied to recently launched spot XRP ETFs. [2]
XRP price today: the quick snapshot (5:00 a.m. ET)
Here are the key numbers market participants are watching early Thursday:
- Price: about $1.87 [3]
- 24-hour change: roughly -1.5% [4]
- 24-hour trading volume: about $3.6B [5]
- Market cap: about $113.2B (ranked #5) [6]
- Recent range: over the past week, XRP moved from roughly $2.04 (high) down to about $1.86 (low) [7]
On an intraday basis, early-session data showed XRP trading in the $1.83–$1.87 area, while broader market feeds indicated the past day’s swing has reached higher levels near $1.98. [8]
Why XRP is under pressure: macro risk is back in the driver’s seat
A growing share of today’s XRP conversation is less about Ripple headlines—and more about macro positioning into year-end.
One focal point: Japan’s government bond yields. FXEmpire flagged a jump in the 10-year Japanese Government Bond (JGB) yield to around 1.98%, stoking “yen carry trade” unwind fears that can hit leveraged risk assets, including crypto. [9]
Data trackers also showed Japan’s 10-year yield hovering near 1.97% on Dec. 18, underscoring that yields remain elevated even if they fluctuate day to day. [10]
Why does that matter for XRP? In simple terms, the yen carry trade strategy borrows low-yield yen to buy higher-yielding (or higher-beta) assets globally. When Japanese yields rise and the yen strengthens, that trade can become less attractive—sometimes triggering a broader de-risking wave across markets. FXEmpire specifically tied the move in yields to a cautious short-term outlook for XRP, with traders watching whether support holds near the low-$1.80s. [11]
There’s also a broader “risk assets vs. hedges” split in the tape. Barron’s noted that major cryptos have been falling even as gold has stayed firmer, reinforcing the view that crypto is trading more like a high-beta asset than a defensive hedge in this stretch. [12]
The technical picture: the market is treating $2 as a “line in the sand”
From an on-the-ground trading standpoint, $2 has become the headline level because it’s both a psychological marker and a zone where many short-term strategies cluster (stop-losses, breakout entries, and mean reversion trades).
Investing.com’s technical commentary described XRP spending recent weeks stuck between support near ~$1.90 and resistance around $2.20–$2.30, with repeated failures to turn $2 into durable support. [13]
In that framework, two downside zones are getting the most attention:
- The high-$1.80s into low-$1.80s: a “base” area where buyers have previously shown up [14]
- Mid-$1.60s: cited by analysts as a deeper retracement target if selling accelerates [15]
FXEmpire, for example, highlighted downside risk toward ~$1.82 if the macro risk-off tone persists. [16]
Importantly, this isn’t just about lines on a chart—it’s about liquidity and positioning. Into late December, crypto markets can see thinner order books, which can amplify moves around obvious levels like $2. (That’s part of why XRP can look “fine” for hours and then suddenly slide on a burst of selling.) [17]
ETFs are still a tailwind—but they’re not “saving” price action (yet)
A key reason XRP remains on many watchlists is the rapid build-out of spot XRP ETFs in the U.S. market.
Investing.com reported that spot XRP ETFs have pulled in more than $1.01 billion in net inflows in roughly their first month, with combined assets around $1.16 billion—a notable footprint for a product category that didn’t exist in the U.S. before mid-November. [18]
But the same analysis also stressed a nuance traders keep repeating: ETF assets still represent a small slice of XRP’s overall market cap (under 1% in that commentary), meaning ETF demand can be meaningful without being large enough to overwhelm macro selling pressure on its own. [19]
A fresh ETF headline on Dec. 18: TOXR enters the launch list
One of the cleanest “today” datapoints is simply that the launch pipeline remains active. ETF Express listed “21Shares XRP ETF (TOXR)” among U.S. ETF launches covering the Dec. 11–18, 2025 window. [20]
21Shares’ own product description frames TOXR as a vehicle designed to provide direct exposure to XRP—aimed at investors who prefer regulated wrappers rather than holding tokens directly. [21]
The market takeaway: even while XRP’s price is slipping, the “financialization” trend—more listed products, more brokerage access, more institutional rails—hasn’t gone away.
Ripple-linked corporate headline: VivoPower’s Ripple share deal (and “indirect XRP exposure”)
Beyond charts and ETF flows, Dec. 18 brought a company-specific headline that caught traders’ attention:
A CoinDesk-reported story (republished by MEXC) said Nasdaq-listed VivoPower is working with Lean Ventures to source $300 million in Ripple Labs equity, targeting institutional and qualified retail investors in South Korea—one of XRP’s most active markets. [22]
Why it mattered to XRP watchers is the way the deal is being marketed. VivoPower estimated that, based on current prices, the Ripple equity stake could represent exposure tied to roughly 450 million XRP, valued around $900 million—though the structure is framed as equity ownership rather than buying XRP outright. [23]
The same report said VivoPower expects to earn fees and performance-based economics (rather than deploying its own balance sheet capital) and described prior XRP-linked treasury and yield strategies, including using Ripple’s RLUSD in treasury operations. [24]
For markets, this is less about immediate buying pressure and more about narrative: it’s another example of public-company and institutional structures being built around the XRP ecosystem.
Regulation in focus: SEC custody clarity adds another layer to year-end positioning
While not an XRP-only development, U.S. regulatory signals still influence crypto risk sentiment—especially when they touch custody (the plumbing behind broker and institutional participation).
On Dec. 17, 2025, the SEC’s Division of Trading and Markets published a staff statement addressing how broker-dealers should think about custody obligations for “crypto asset securities” under Rule 15c3-3, including expectations around access and control and the ability to transfer assets on the underlying ledger. [25]
Even when guidance is narrowly scoped, markets often treat custody clarity as part of the foundation needed for broader institutional adoption—particularly as token exposure migrates into ETFs, broker platforms, and traditional market infrastructure.
Separately, Reuters reported today that Coinbase appointed former UK finance minister George Osborne to run its internal advisory council, reflecting the industry’s continued push to shape policy frameworks outside the U.S. [26]
That matters for XRP and other majors primarily as a sentiment factor: markets tend to price in regulation risk (or relief) across the whole sector, not coin-by-coin.
What to watch for XRP next (today and into Friday)
Heading into the rest of Dec. 18, XRP traders are focused on a short list of catalysts:
- Macro headlines out of Japan ahead of the Bank of Japan decision expected Friday, Dec. 19, which FXEmpire tied to the “carry trade” narrative currently hitting risk assets [27]
- Whether XRP can stabilize above the mid-to-high $1.80s, a zone repeatedly highlighted in technical commentary as a near-term battleground [28]
- Whether ETF adoption headlines (new listings and continuing inflows) can keep improving the medium-term story even if price remains choppy in the short run [29]
For now, the market’s message is straightforward: XRP’s long-term narrative is getting more institutional “wrappers,” but today’s price is still being driven by risk appetite—and risk appetite is fragile. [30]
Market data referenced above is as of approximately 5:00 a.m. ET (Dec. 18, 2025). This article is for informational purposes only and is not investment advice. [31]
References
1. www.investing.com, 2. www.fxempire.com, 3. www.investing.com, 4. coinmarketcap.com, 5. coinmarketcap.com, 6. coinmarketcap.com, 7. www.coingecko.com, 8. www.investing.com, 9. www.fxempire.com, 10. tradingeconomics.com, 11. www.fxempire.com, 12. www.barrons.com, 13. za.investing.com, 14. za.investing.com, 15. za.investing.com, 16. www.fxempire.com, 17. www.binance.com, 18. za.investing.com, 19. za.investing.com, 20. etfexpress.com, 21. www.21shares.com, 22. www.mexc.co, 23. www.mexc.co, 24. www.mexc.co, 25. www.sec.gov, 26. www.reuters.com, 27. www.fxempire.com, 28. za.investing.com, 29. za.investing.com, 30. za.investing.com, 31. coinmarketcap.com
