December 16, 2025 — XRP (the token closely associated with Ripple’s ecosystem) slid further Tuesday, extending a multi-week soft patch and turning a familiar psychological line in the sand — $2 — into a fresh point of market anxiety. In early trading, XRP fell into the $1.80s, with multiple reports placing the move around $1.87–$1.88, as the broader crypto market flipped risk-off and leveraged positions were forced out. [1]
The headlines may look like “just another down day” in a volatile asset class. But beneath the surface, Tuesday’s slide has a clear structure: a technical break of a widely watched support zone near $1.93, a burst in trading activity, and a liquidation wave that left traders hunting for the next price floor. [2]
What happened to XRP on Dec. 16: the $1.93 level broke — and momentum followed
According to a CoinDesk market update republished by MEXC, XRP broke below the $1.93 support zone during the latest session, and that breakdown came with a notable jump in participation: trading volume surged to about 246% above the 24-hour average, with the heaviest activity occurring as price moved through that $1.93 area — a sign that bigger players were active rather than the move happening in “thin” conditions. [3]
From there, XRP’s tape looked like a classic post-breakdown pattern:
- A fast drop from just under $2.00 to a session low around $1.87
- Brief consolidation in the $1.86–$1.88 band
- A market now treating $1.93 as resistance rather than support [4]
In other words, the market didn’t just dip below a round number — it re-priced a key level.
Why is XRP falling today? It’s not one catalyst — it’s the combination of risk-off flows, leverage, and technical damage
One of the most important takeaways from today’s coverage is that there wasn’t a single XRP-specific trigger. The CoinDesk note (via MEXC) explicitly described the decline as reflecting broader positioning adjustments and “risk reduction,” with short-term price action being driven by technical positioning rather than a new fundamental development. [5]
That aligns with what other market coverage highlighted Tuesday:
- Leverage got flushed. Stocktwits reported total crypto liquidations around $584 million, with XRP seeing about $14.47 million in leveraged bets wiped out — mostly long positions. [6]
- The wider market slid hard. The Economic Times pegged the day’s liquidation wave around $592 million and described a sharp sell-off across majors, including Bitcoin and Ethereum, as forced unwinds hit derivatives markets. [7]
When price breaks a known support zone and longs are crowded, the mechanics can become self-reinforcing: stop-losses trigger, liquidations fire, bids step back, and “support” becomes a moving target.
XRP didn’t fall alone: Bitcoin under $86K and Ethereum near $2.9K set a risk-off tone
Tuesday’s XRP weakness unfolded in a market already on edge.
The Economic Times reported Bitcoin around $85,507 and Ethereum around $2,904 in the prior 24 hours, alongside a global crypto market cap down 3.88% to $2.93 trillion (per CoinMarketCap data cited in the piece). [8]
Meanwhile, Reuters described a broader “defensive” mood across markets ahead of key U.S. economic data and multiple central bank meetings, noting that the same risk-off posture was hitting cryptocurrencies, with bitcoin sliding to a two-week low in that environment. [9]
And a Barron’s market brief framed Tuesday as a potentially pivotal day for crypto sentiment, citing declines in Bitcoin, Ethereum, and XRP ahead of major U.S. jobs data that could influence rate expectations. [10]
For XRP traders, that macro backdrop matters because high-beta assets tend to move together during de-risking phases — even when their internal stories (ETFs, partnerships, product launches) stay intact.
“Big inflows, weak price”: XRP ETFs pass the $1B mark, but the market still sold
One of the most striking contrasts on Dec. 16 is how positive ETF-flow headlines coexisted with negative price action.
A Finbold report published Tuesday said U.S. spot XRP ETFs surpassed $1 billion in cumulative net inflows, with total net assets around $1.12 billion, citing SoSoValue data as of Dec. 16. It also broke out issuer-by-issuer inflows, including figures for Canary Capital’s XRP ETF (XRPC) and Grayscale’s XRP ETF (GXRP), among others. [11]
BeInCrypto likewise reported that XRP spot ETFs have logged about a month of consecutive inflows since their debut, describing a divergence where Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs saw significant outflows during the same period (based on SoSoValue data cited in the piece). [12]
So why didn’t “ETF demand” save the chart?
A practical explanation showed up in a separate XRP-focused breakdown published Monday by Fast Company: one crypto analyst highlighted that large outflows on centralized exchanges can effectively offset ETF inflows, and that some activity may occur over-the-counter, muting immediate impact on visible market prices. [13]
The net result is a market that can show “institutional-style demand” on one track while still trading heavy on another — especially during a broader risk-off move.
Institutional plumbing keeps expanding: CME launches Spot-Quoted XRP futures
Even as prices slid, market infrastructure tied to XRP continued to grow.
On Dec. 15, 2025, CME Group announced it had launched Spot-Quoted XRP and SOL futures, positioning them as complements to its existing Spot-Quoted Bitcoin and Ether futures and emphasizing easier “spot-market terms” trading with longer-dated expiries. [14]
This kind of development can be meaningful over time (more tools for hedging, more on-ramps for different trading styles). But it also underscores a theme XRP traders are seeing in real time: market structure progress doesn’t guarantee upward price action in the short run, particularly when the market is focused on liquidity, leverage, and macro risk.
The key levels traders are watching next: $1.88, $1.85, and the “line in the sand” at $1.93
If you strip away the noise, today’s XRP story is now heavily level-driven:
- $1.93: Previously support, now a major resistance zone after the break. [15]
- Below $1.88: The CoinDesk/MEXC technical note said sustained trading below this area keeps downside pressure intact near term. [16]
- $1.85: Flagged as the “next meaningful area” where buyers may try to stabilize price. [17]
From an SEO standpoint, this is the core “XRP price today” setup: traders are looking for either (1) a credible reclaim of $1.93 with selling pressure fading, or (2) evidence of demand stepping in closer to $1.85 and holding.
What to watch next: macro data, liquidation aftershocks, and whether ETF flows translate into price support
Here’s what could shape XRP’s next move after Dec. 16’s break:
- Does the liquidation wave cool off — or re-ignite?
Today’s coverage across outlets emphasized forced long liquidations as a driver of the drop. If leverage resets, volatility can fall; if leverage rebuilds too quickly, the market stays fragile. [18] - Can XRP reclaim $1.93 — or does resistance hold?
The CoinDesk/MEXC analysis treats $1.93 as the level that matters most for a credible shift in short-term structure. [19] - Do macro catalysts lift (or further crush) risk appetite?
Reuters pointed to heightened caution ahead of major data and central bank decisions, the kind of setup that often spills into high-volatility assets like crypto. [20] - Will ETF inflows begin to show up in price — or remain “absorbed” by selling elsewhere?
Recent reporting continues to highlight strong regulated-product demand, but the market’s near-term tape is still dominated by flow, positioning, and liquidity. [21]
References
1. www.mexc.com, 2. www.mexc.com, 3. www.mexc.com, 4. www.mexc.com, 5. www.mexc.com, 6. stocktwits.com, 7. m.economictimes.com, 8. m.economictimes.com, 9. www.reuters.com, 10. www.barrons.com, 11. finbold.com, 12. beincrypto.com, 13. www.fastcompany.com, 14. www.cmegroup.com, 15. www.mexc.com, 16. www.mexc.com, 17. www.mexc.com, 18. stocktwits.com, 19. www.mexc.com, 20. www.reuters.com, 21. finbold.com
