XRP Today News: Veteran trader Peter Brandt warns of double top risk, Ripple ecosystem expansion in progress

Senior trader Peter Brandt recently issued a warning about XRP’s price, pointing out that its weekly chart may be forming a classic bearish “double top” pattern, suggesting a potential exhaustion of upward momentum. However, this technical warning stands in stark contrast to the increasingly strong fundamentals: its issuer Ripple is accelerating the expansion of the USD stablecoin RLUSD across multiple Layer 2 networks such as Optimism and Base, and launching institutional trading tools for qualified retirement accounts. Meanwhile, some analysts citing historical cycle data indicate that after XRP’s price hovers below the 50-week moving average for about 70 days, a strong rebound often occurs. This significant divergence between technical signals and fundamentals constitutes the core contradiction in the current XRP market, and its future direction will depend on which force ultimately prevails.

Technical analysis master sounds the alarm: Peter Brandt explains potential XRP double top risk

In the crypto market, Peter Brandt is highly regarded for his decades of chart analysis experience and candid style. Recently, he turned his focus to XRP and shared a chart on social media, pointing out that its price pattern may be building a “potential double top.” In technical analysis, the double top pattern is considered a common trend reversal signal, characterized by two failed attempts to break a resistance level, forming two similar highs resembling the letter “M.” Brandt’s warning is not unfounded; after a rally at the end of 2024, XRP’s price indeed entered a prolonged sideways consolidation, with bulls and bears repeatedly fighting over key levels, providing the soil for this classic pattern to emerge.

Although Brandt’s view has sparked opposition from many loyal XRP supporters (whom he jokingly calls “Riplost”), he remains quite composed. He explicitly states in his post: “I knew all you Riplost (XRP holders) would forever remind me of this post—asking if I care. This is a potential double top.” This attitude reflects the professionalism of an experienced trader: making judgments based on chart signals while calmly accepting the possibility of market invalidation. He added, “Of course, it could fail, and if it does, I will handle it. But for now, it has bearish implications. Whether you like it or not, you need to face it.” This calm, shape-based analysis, rather than emotional bias, is at the core of technical methodology.

It is worth noting that Brandt’s warning comes at a delicate moment. Despite technical charts raising doubts, the on-chain application and regulatory progress news around XRP are not pessimistic; this divergence itself is a market signal worth pondering. The effectiveness of technical analysis relies on the assumption that market behavior reflects all information, but when fundamental changes occur structurally, the predictive power of historical patterns may be diminished. Therefore, while paying attention to the double top risk, investors must not overlook the ongoing ecosystem evolution.

Historical cycle advocates rebut: data reveals XRP may already be near a bottom

Contrasting directly with Brandt’s cautious outlook is another school of analysis based on historical cycle data. Analysts like Steph is Crypto point out that focusing solely on patterns might be “short-sighted”; when extending the timeline, XRP’s current price position may actually indicate weakening downward forces rather than the start of a new decline. Their core argument revolves around XRP’s price relationship with its 50-week simple moving average (SMA). Backtesting history, they found a recurring pattern: whenever XRP’s price falls below the 50-week SMA and remains below it for some time, a significant rebound often follows.

This analysis is supported by concrete data. The pattern has appeared in multiple past market cycles of XRP, offering an alternative perspective on the current situation. If history repeats, XRP’s current phase might be more akin to a medium- to long-term accumulation window rather than a signal to exit based on pattern warnings.

XRP Historical Cycle Key Data Table

Analysts provided specific cases to support their view:

• 2017 cycle: XRP price stayed below the 50-week SMA for about 70 days, then launched a strong rebound of up to 211%.
• 2021 cycle: After 49 days below the SMA, XRP experienced a rally of approximately 70%.
• Recent 2024 cycle: After 84 days of oscillation below the SMA, XRP surged an astonishing 850%.

Currently, XRP has been trading below the 50-week SMA for about 70 days, fitting into the “rebound trigger window” suggested by these historical patterns. Of course, history does not repeat exactly, and past patterns do not guarantee future outcomes. Nonetheless, this data-driven perspective offers a different dimension of analysis from pure pattern recognition, explaining why market bulls and bears are so divided at current levels.

Fundamentals quietly strengthening: Ripple advances RLUSD multi-chain expansion and institutionalization

While traders analyze chart signals, Ripple has not slowed its business expansion. A series of fundamental developments are injecting new vitality into XRP and the broader ecosystem. Most notably, its USD stablecoin RLUSD is expanding across multiple Layer 2 networks. Originally issued on XRP Ledger and Ethereum, RLUSD has now announced integration into Optimism, Base, Ink, and Unichain Layer 2s. This move aims to leverage Layer 2’s high performance and low costs to significantly enhance RLUSD’s scalability, liquidity transfer efficiency, and practical utility in DeFi and institutional platforms.

This cross-chain expansion is not just token bridging but utilizes Wormhole’s Native Token Transfers standard to achieve safer, native multi-chain interoperability. More strategically, Ripple emphasizes that RLUSD is issued under a trust charter granted by the New York State Department of Financial Services, making it one of the most regulated stablecoins entering Layer 2 ecosystems. Additionally, Ripple is actively applying for a charter from the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and has gained regulatory recognition in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, paving the way for long-term growth.

Another dimension of ecosystem expansion is the enhancement of XRP’s practical utility. Wormhole states that XRP holders will be able to use wrapped XRP and RLUSD across all supported chains to form “core trading and liquidity pairs.” Meanwhile, institutional tools are also being developed. For example, Digital Wealth Partners recently launched an algorithm-driven XRP trading strategy for qualified retirement accounts, with insured custody via Anchorage Digital. This service enables high-net-worth investors to conduct systematic XRP trading within regulated, tax-advantaged accounts, marking an unprecedented integration of crypto into traditional wealth management.

Market interpretation: XRP faces a tug-of-war between short-term sentiment and long-term value

The current XRP market presents a classic struggle between short-term market sentiment and long-term fundamental value. The double top pattern warned by Peter Brandt reflects short-term market sentiment characterized by insufficient buying pressure and profit-taking at certain price levels. Once confirmed by declining volume and breaking key support levels, this pattern could trigger deeper corrections, impacting short-term price trajectories.

On the other hand, Ripple’s systematic ecosystem development and regulatory progress underpin long-term value. RLUSD’s expansion across main Layer 2 networks not only opens vast application scenarios but also indirectly enhances XRP’s utility and liquidity demand through wXRP cross-chain use. The launch of institutional tools further facilitates traditional capital inflows. These are not short-term hype but solid efforts to build a sustainable long-term value foundation.

For investors, this divergence means clearer self-positioning is needed. Short-term traders should closely monitor the key technical levels pointed out by Brandt and prepare risk management plans. Long-term value investors may focus more on Ripple’s substantive ecosystem progress and regulatory barriers, viewing current technical fluctuations as normal parts of long-term deployment. The market’s ultimate direction will depend on whether panic selling kills the bullish pattern or whether accumulated ecosystem benefits eventually coalesce into a driving force for price increases, ultimately dissolving the double top threat. XRP’s “song of ice and fire” is a microcosm of the broader crypto market’s complexity.