Today: 20 July 2026
XRP price drops below $2 as tariff fears hit crypto — here’s what traders watch next
20 January 2026
1 min read

XRP price drops below $2 as tariff fears hit crypto — here’s what traders watch next

New York, Jan 20, 2026, 13:40 EST — Regular session

  • XRP dropped roughly 6% over the last day, sliding to about $1.90 amid a wider selloff in risk assets.
  • Traders flagged fresh tariff news linked to the Greenland dispute, sending investors scrambling for safe havens and dragging stocks down.
  • All eyes now shift to Thursday’s U.S. inflation report, which will be the latest clue on interest rates and risk sentiment.

XRP slipped under $2 on Tuesday, dropping around 6% in the last 24 hours to about $1.90, according to data from .

The decline came amid a renewed risk-off mood after President Donald Trump threatened new tariffs on multiple European countries over a spat involving Greenland, weighing on stocks and boosting gold prices.

This hits XRP hard since traders generally see most crypto as a high-beta bet on sentiment. When investors pull back, smaller tokens tend to react more sharply than bitcoin.

Tuesday’s move in XRP didn’t follow any clear catalyst tied directly to the token. While XRP stays tightly connected to Ripple, the blockchain payments company, the price shifts seemed driven by broader market trends.

XRP’s decline dragged on through a volatile week. According to CoinGecko’s seven-day data, the token fell from roughly $2.14 last Thursday to near $1.90 by Tuesday.

The broader “digital gold” narrative took a hit as bitcoin trailed traditional safe havens. Alex Thorn, Galaxy Digital’s head of research, noted in an interview: “We’re looking at… geopolitical uncertainty and gold trading at all-time highs again, and bitcoin underperforming.” Dean Chen, an analyst at Bitunix, told Investopedia that bitcoin is still seen by the wider market “as a high-beta risk asset.”

Put simply, this is a risk-off session: investors flock to safer bets and dump riskier ones, crypto included.

Still, the downside is clear. If tariffs ramp up or inflation data heats up, pushing rates higher for longer, leveraged crypto bets could come under sustained pressure and any rebounds might prove fleeting.

Traders now turn to Thursday’s U.S. data dump, which features the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) inflation gauge alongside other key reports. The market is looking for clearer clues on rate direction and risk appetite.

Khadija Saeed is a financial markets reporter at TS2.tech, specializing in stocks, technology and emerging industries. She studied economics and finance at the London School of Economics and previously worked in market research before moving into financial journalism. Her coverage focuses on the companies, innovations and economic trends influencing global investors. Follow Khadija Saeed on Google News.

Stock Market Today

  • Cardano Completes Van Rossem Hard Fork, Leaves ADA Price Unchanged as Upgrade Gains Support
    July 20, 2026, 1:34 PM EDT. Cardano (ADA) has implemented the Van Rossem hard fork, marking its first major upgrade helmed by the community under the Voltaire framework and transitioning to Protocol Version 11 without service interruption. Although the move was hailed as a "historic milestone," ADA's price held steady during the 24-hour period, underperforming Bitcoin's 1.5% increase and Solana's 1.7% advance. The hard fork received approval from 78.97% of delegated voters, 53.02% of node operators, and unanimous backing from the constitutional committee (7/7 votes).
OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar lifts lid on $20B revenue run rate as 2026 shifts to “practical adoption”
Previous Story

OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar lifts lid on $20B revenue run rate as 2026 shifts to “practical adoption”

Bloom Energy stock price slips as big-holder filings land ahead of Feb. 5 earnings
Next Story

Bloom Energy stock price slips as big-holder filings land ahead of Feb. 5 earnings

Go toTop