NEW YORK, March 13, 2026, 14:24 EDT
XRP pushed past $1.40 on Friday, notching a 2.2% gain for the session as bitcoin and ether joined the move higher. The token saw intraday swings between $1.37 and $1.45, settling right at $1.40 after U.S. inflation data landed near forecasts.
XRP’s break above the $1.39 resistance zone—a level that stalled upside moves earlier this year—puts the focus back on a critical technical region. IG market analyst Axel Rudolph pointed out that taking out Monday’s $1.4424 high could clear a path toward the $1.46-$1.49 range.
Stocks rebounded Friday following news that the U.S. Personal Consumption Expenditures index, the Fed’s go-to inflation measure, increased 2.8% in January year-over-year. Futures markets responded quickly, now betting on a first Federal Reserve rate cut in September instead of October.
XRP often swings harder than the major tokens when sentiment shifts. According to Rudolph, short covering helped supercharge this latest jump as bearish traders scrambled to buy back into the rally. Bitcoin was last quoted at $70,946, while ether traded at $2,094.94.
Derivatives volumes didn’t let up. On Friday, CoinGlass pegged XRP open interest at roughly $2.61 billion, reflecting that traders kept their positions up instead of pulling back.
Rudolph pointed out resistance looming at $1.4634 and $1.4719; should momentum push further, the $1.4923-$1.5082 range comes into play. These are resistance levels — spots where previous surges have fizzled out, traders say.
XRP’s landscape isn’t what it was a year ago. In August, Reuters noted the SEC dropped its lawsuit against Ripple, though the company still faces a $125 million penalty. Then, by April, Reuters was reporting that CME planned to roll out XRP futures—contracts linked to the token, listed on a regulated derivatives marketplace.
At the time, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse described the CME move as “an incredibly important and exciting step in the continued growth of the XRP market.” With futures, investors can speculate on price swings or protect positions without actually owning the token. Reuters
Economists, though, weren’t as laid back as Friday’s market moves might imply. Barclays shifted its expected timing for the Fed’s first rate cut—now betting on September instead of June. “Inflation remains elevated, sticky,” said Peter Cardillo at Spartan Capital. Ellen Zentner at Morgan Stanley Wealth Management added, “more sticky inflation data simply strengthens the idea that the Fed will remain on the sidelines.” If oil prices stick around $100 a barrel, crypto’s bounce could run out of the rate support that fueled Friday’s rally. Reuters
Right now, XRP is hovering just over the previous $1.39 resistance. According to IG, if the price slips under the March uptrend at $1.3610, traders might start eyeing $1.3224 as the next support. On the flip side, a decisive move into the mid-$1.40s would bring the next potential cap into focus.
