XRP Just Broke Above Its Bearish Barrier—But One Signal Still Has Not Flipped

XRP did more than join the latest crypto rally. It pushed through the technical ceiling that had kept every August bounce under control—and it did so while outperforming every other top-10 cryptocurrency.

That is the bullish part. The important catch is that price has cleared the barrier, but the moving averages themselves have not yet completed the crossover that would formally reverse XRP’s bearish setup.

XRP cleared both moving averages

Decrypt’s market analysis reported that XRP opened Friday near $1.27, reached an intraday high of $1.43 and traded around $1.40. More importantly for chart watchers, the daily candle moved above both the 50-day and 200-day exponential moving averages for the first time since the bearish crossover formed earlier in August.

Those two averages matter because they smooth out daily noise and show the market’s short- and long-term direction. When the 50-day average falls below the 200-day average, traders call it a death cross.

It is a lagging signal, but it often becomes a stubborn ceiling because rallies must first reclaim both lines before the trend can repair itself.

XRP has now completed that first step. Earlier this week, Decrypt highlighted the tension between resilient price action and a chart that still carried a warning:

XRP Price Holds to Near Two-Year Streak, But Charts Flash a Warning Signhttps://t.co/YJK8ayfjfu

— Decrypt (@DecryptMedia) August 17, 2026

The bullish crossover is still missing

Price trading above both averages does not mean the death cross has disappeared. The 50-day average remains below the 200-day average.

Bulls ultimately want to see the faster line rise through the slower one, creating the opposite pattern—a golden cross.

That distinction matters because the current move proves buyers can break the old ceiling, but it does not yet prove they can hold it long enough to turn the trend. In plain English: XRP has opened the door, but it has not locked in the reversal.

The source analysis placed XRP’s Relative Strength Index at 83.5. Any RSI above 70 is generally considered overbought, so the rally has moved far enough and fast enough that a pause or pullback would be normal.

At the same time, an Average Directional Index reading of 32.4 suggested the move had real trend strength rather than being a weak intraday spike.

That combination—strong trend, stretched momentum—is why chasing the move blindly is risky even though the breakout itself is meaningful.

XRP is leading the top of the market

CoinGecko’s live XRP market page placed the asset fifth by market capitalization late Friday morning Central time, with a market value near $87.7 billion and a price around $1.40. Its roughly 11% 24-hour gain put it well ahead of the kind of move traders usually expect from an asset already sitting near the top of the crypto market.

The rally has not come from XRP alone. Bitcoin’s surge and the liquidation of bearish positions have lifted risk appetite across crypto.

But XRP’s relative strength is the part worth watching: when a top-five asset accelerates faster than Bitcoin and Ethereum, it signals that buyers are willing to move further out on the risk curve.

Large holders also appeared to be positioning before the breakout. Ali Charts reported earlier this month that whale wallets had accumulated more than 380 million XRP over a week:

3/5 Whales appear to be positioning for that possibility.

Over the past week, large holders have accumulated more than 380 million XRP, an encouraging sign of conviction at current levels. pic.twitter.com/SRtgOiI2gh

— Ali Charts (@alicharts) August 9, 2026

The levels that matter now

The first test is whether XRP can hold above the reclaimed moving-average zone on a daily closing basis. A brief move above resistance can become a false breakout if sellers immediately force price back under both lines.

On the upside, $1.43 is the first obvious level because it marked Friday’s intraday high. Beyond that, the source analysis identified $1.60 as a larger ceiling near the top of the descending channel that has constrained XRP since late 2025.

On the downside, $1.34 is the first support area to watch. Holding that level after an overbought reading would show that buyers are treating the breakout as a new floor instead of a quick trading opportunity.

The cleanest bullish sequence from here would be simple: XRP cools off without losing the reclaimed averages, establishes support above the old ceiling, and gives the 50-day average enough time to turn higher. If that happens, the golden cross can follow price instead of price falling back beneath the averages.

For now, XRP has earned the breakout headline. The next several closes will decide whether it also earns the trend-reversal headline.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not financial advice.

Join the conversation!

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.