At around 10:05 a.m. ET on Thursday, December 18, 2025, XRP (XRP/USD) is trading near $1.90, extending a volatile December pullback that has kept the token pinned below the psychologically important $2.00 level. While price action remains under pressure in a broader “risk-off” crypto tape, today’s news cycle is packed with institutional and infrastructure developments—including a new Ripple prime-brokerage partnership and continued spot XRP ETF inflows that have surpassed the $1 billion threshold in many tallies. [1]
XRP price today: key numbers at 10:05 AM ET
Here are the headline metrics traders are watching this morning:
- Price: about $1.90 [2]
- 24-hour move: down roughly 2%–3% (varies slightly by data source and venue) [3]
- 24-hour range: roughly $1.83 (low) to $1.98 (high) [4]
- Market cap: about $115 billion [5]
- 24-hour trading volume: about $4.0 billion [6]
- Circulating supply: about 60.49 billion XRP [7]
Why the “$2” level matters today: multiple intraday and multi-day analyses published on Dec. 18 frame $2.00 as the near-term “line in the sand.” Above it, technical sellers lose some leverage; below it, rallies have struggled to stick. [8]
What’s driving XRP this morning: market-wide pressure first, XRP-specific catalysts second
Even with XRP-specific headlines, the dominant force early today is the broader crypto market’s tone.
A widely cited narrative across mainstream coverage is that majors are struggling to regain momentum, with Bitcoin hovering near the high-$80Ks and altcoins lagging. In premarket coverage Thursday, Barron’s noted XRP down around 2% while crypto remained choppy—an environment that tends to punish “failed breakouts” and reward short-term selling strength. [9]
Investing.com’s Dec. 18 analysis makes the same point in a different way: XRP is trading like a high-beta extension of a broader risk-off move, not in isolation—while macro-sensitive equities and risk assets wobble, crypto often follows. [10]
Today’s top XRP headlines (Dec. 18, 2025)
1) Ripple expands partnership with TJM to deepen institutional execution and clearing
Ripple published a fresh press release today announcing a strategic partnership with TJM Investments and TJM Institutional Services—regulated broker-dealer and introducing broker entities—focused on expanding institutional trade execution and clearing services. Ripple says it has invested in TJM and will provide infrastructure supporting execution and clearing, positioning the relationship through Ripple Prime, its multi-asset prime brokerage platform. [11]
What this means for XRP price today: this kind of “plumbing” news rarely moves spot price by itself in minutes—but it adds to the longer-running institutional narrative. Ripple also notes that TJM expects to expand coverage into digital assets in the coming months, targeting hedge funds, family offices, asset managers, and global investors. [12]
2) VivoPower highlights “indirect XRP exposure” via a Ripple share deal
One of the most discussed XRP-adjacent stories today comes from Decrypt: VivoPower said it plans to originate up to $300 million worth of Ripple Labs shares for South Korea-based investment firm Lean Ventures. VivoPower framed the equity stake as implying indirect exposure to roughly 450 million XRP, valued around $900 million at current prices—an approach that emphasizes equity exposure rather than direct token holdings. [13]
For XRP traders, the key takeaway is less about immediate token flow and more about how public-market vehicles continue trying to package “XRP-linked” exposure in different forms—shares, funds, and structured access—especially as institutional rails mature.
3) Spot XRP ETFs: inflows persist even as price struggles
Several Dec. 18 reports converge on the same tension:
- Price is weak below $2, but
- ETF flows remain net positive, signaling institutional demand may be absorbing supply over time.
FXStreet reports that XRP ETFs recorded approximately $18 million in inflows on Wednesday, with cumulative net inflows around $1.03 billion and net assets around $1.14 billion, citing SoSoValue data. [14]
A separate ETF flow note published early today reported $18.99 million of net inflow for December 17 (ET), also citing SoSoValue, and even breaks out which XRP ETF tickers led daily inflows. [15]
Meanwhile, Investing.com estimates spot XRP ETFs have accumulated $1.01B+ in net inflows in roughly the first month, with combined assets around $1.16B, while emphasizing that ETF ownership is still a small slice of total XRP market cap—leaving “headroom” if institutional allocation continues to rise. [16]
XRP technical analysis today: the battlefield between $1.82, $1.90, and $2.00
Across the day’s technical coverage, one theme is consistent: XRP is trying to form a base, but sellers still control the higher ground.
The near-term map: support shelves and resistance ceilings
FXStreet’s Dec. 18 “Ripple Price Forecast” places XRP between support around $1.82 and resistance at $2.00, noting bearish signals and warning of a downside path if support fails. [17]
Investing.com zooms in further and lays out a clear ladder:
- Immediate local support:$1.92–$1.90
- Key structural pivot: around $1.8140
- Next downside levels discussed:$1.73, then $1.64, with $1.61 nearby [18]
On the upside, Investing.com says bulls need to regain $2.00 convincingly and then break $2.20–$2.30—a zone it ties to the month-long cap and moving-average resistance. [19]
“Retail demand” is the swing factor
FXStreet also points to derivatives positioning as a reason rallies have struggled: it cites CoinGlass data showing futures open interest around $3.31 billion, down from earlier in the week—interpreting that as fading retail participation and leverage demand. [20]
That matters because, in many crypto rallies, retail leverage is what turns a grind into a breakout. Without it, even strong institutional bid (via ETFs) can show up as “supportive” rather than “explosive.”
Bearish pattern risk: Peter Brandt’s double-top warning
A separate Dec. 18 technical piece republished by FXStreet (sourced to Cointelegraph) highlights veteran trader Peter Brandt warning that a potential double top could carry bearish implications if XRP can’t reclaim and hold key levels. It notes downside reference points including a move toward the low-$1 area under certain breakdown conditions. [21]
This is not a forecast everyone shares—Investing.com, for example, also outlines reversal structures and upside pathways—but it helps explain why sentiment stays fragile under $2. [22]
XRP forecasts today: what models and analysts are projecting on Dec. 18
Because XRP is trading in a tight, headline-sensitive zone, forecasts today split into two camps: conservative “drift” models and technical “scenario” calls.
Short-horizon model forecasts lean modest (not euphoric)
Binance’s community-driven price prediction dashboard shows a Dec. 18 forecast around $1.909 and projects a modest move over the next 30 days (based on user inputs, not Binance’s official view). [23]
CoinCodex’s algorithmic outlook similarly clusters XRP in a relatively narrow band, projecting prices around the high-$1.80s over the next several days, with small percentage moves. [24]
Takeaway: model-based forecasts published today generally imply range trading, not a sudden trend reversal—unless new catalysts hit.
Analyst-style forecasts focus on “if/then” triggers
FXStreet’s framework is explicitly conditional: hold $1.82 and reclaim $2.00 to reduce downside risk; lose support and the market could slide toward lower historical reference points (including $1.61 in that coverage). [25]
Investing.com takes a similar scenario approach but emphasizes the macro overlay: ETF flows and licensing/infrastructure progress may be structurally constructive, but the market may keep selling failed breakouts until the risk backdrop improves. [26]
Longer-range predictions remain wide—and should be treated cautiously
Long-form “price prediction” pages updated today (such as Changelly’s) compile third-party projections that can vary dramatically and often depend on assumptions about adoption, regulation, and market cycles. These are useful for understanding sentiment dispersion, not for precision timing. [27]
Regulation and infrastructure: the backdrop XRP bulls keep pointing to
While not new today, the regulatory and banking angle remains central to many Dec. 18 analyses because it influences how institutions justify exposure.
Earlier this month, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) announced conditional approvals for national trust bank charter applications—including one for Ripple National Trust Bank—and conversions for BitGo, Fidelity Digital Assets, and Paxos. These are conditional, meaning firms must meet requirements before they can commence business. [28]
In parallel, the SEC legal overhang that defined XRP for years is widely treated as largely resolved in 2025 coverage: Reuters reported in August that the SEC ended its lawsuit against Ripple with a $125 million fine and dropped appeals, following a court distinction between institutional sales and secondary market exchange sales. [29]
Why this matters for price today: the regulatory “risk premium” may be lower than in prior cycles—but macro and positioning still dominate short-term moves, which is why XRP can sink even on institutional headlines.
What to watch next for XRP (the next 24–72 hours)
If you’re tracking XRP price action after 10:05 a.m. ET, the market is signaling a few clear watchpoints:
- Does XRP defend the $1.90 area?
Investing.com calls $1.92–$1.90 the immediate band; a clean break tends to shift attention quickly back to the low-$1.80s. [30] - Can price reclaim $2.00 on a closing basis?
FXStreet frames $2.00 as the first step toward a turnaround, with moving-average resistance still overhead above that zone. [31] - ETF flow updates (daily) vs. spot response
The market is watching whether continued inflows translate into stronger spot demand—or simply slow the selloff. [32] - Ripple’s institutional expansion cadence
Today’s TJM partnership announcement strengthens the “institutional infrastructure” narrative; follow-on details (rollout timing, digital asset coverage expansion) may influence longer-horizon sentiment. [33]
References
1. coinmarketcap.com, 2. coinmarketcap.com, 3. coinmarketcap.com, 4. coinmarketcap.com, 5. coinmarketcap.com, 6. coinmarketcap.com, 7. coinmarketcap.com, 8. www.fxstreet.com, 9. www.barrons.com, 10. www.investing.com, 11. ripple.com, 12. ripple.com, 13. decrypt.co, 14. www.fxstreet.com, 15. phemex.com, 16. www.investing.com, 17. www.fxstreet.com, 18. www.investing.com, 19. www.investing.com, 20. www.fxstreet.com, 21. www.fxstreet.com, 22. www.investing.com, 23. www.binance.com, 24. coincodex.com, 25. www.fxstreet.com, 26. www.investing.com, 27. changelly.com, 28. www.occ.treas.gov, 29. www.reuters.com, 30. www.investing.com, 31. www.fxstreet.com, 32. www.fxstreet.com, 33. ripple.com
