XRP advanced 4.26% to $1.85 during Wednesday’s session, recovering sharply from early weakness even as overall participation remained muted.
News background
Underlying sentiment toward XRP received a modest lift after VivoPower announced a partnership with Lean Ventures to acquire Ripple Labs equity, indirectly providing exposure to nearly $1 billion worth of XRP.
The joint venture aims to source up to $300 million in Ripple shares for institutional and qualified retail investors in South Korea, with VivoPower targeting roughly $75 million in management and performance fees over three years.
While the deal does not directly involve XRP purchases, it reinforces institutional interest in Ripple-linked assets at a time when XRP price action remains technically sensitive.
The move lagged the broader crypto market by roughly 1.2%, indicative that gains were driven by token-specific flows rather than a full risk-on rotation.
Price Action
Price action stabilized after XRP dipped to $1.797 in the European morning, before buyers stepped in during U.S. hours and pushed the token toward session highs. The rebound established short-term support above $1.84, though the lack of sustained volume suggests institutions remain cautious at current levels.
The rally unfolded without a broad market catalyst, leaving technical positioning and flow dynamics as the dominant drivers. XRP’s ability to close near the highs despite lighter turnover points to controlled accumulation rather than momentum chasing.
Technical Analysis
Late in the session, XRP saw concentrated bursts of institutional-sized activity that changed the intraday structure. Volume spikes at 03:25 and 03:26 UTC — totaling nearly 19 million tokens — carried price decisively through the $1.84 resistance area, converting it into short-term support.
Those flows helped complete an ascending intraday channel from the $1.797 low, marking the clearest technical development of the day. Still, the broader volume profile remains subdued, raising questions about whether the move can extend without wider market participation.
From a structure perspective, XRP is now consolidating just below the $1.87–$1.90 supply zone, where sellers have repeatedly emerged in recent sessions.
What traders are watching
With XRP now holding above $1.84, attention turns to whether price can attract follow-through above the $1.87–$1.90 resistance band. A clean break would signal broader acceptance of higher levels, while failure to extend could see the token slip back into its recent consolidation range.
For now, the setup reflects cautious optimism: late-session accumulation improved structure, but below-average volume suggests conviction remains limited.
Source: https://www.coindesk.com/markets/2025/12/19/xrp-higher-after-early-dip-as-buyers-step-in-near-usd1-80
