XRP faces pressure at $2.81- Breakdown or rebound ahead?

Key Takeaways

XRP’s price support at $2.81 remained critical as NVT ratio surged 441%, Spot Taker CVD showed sell dominance, and liquidation heatmaps flagged risks near $2.80.

Ripple [XRP] tested its resilience again as the price approached a crucial on-chain support at $2.81, a level that has historically attracted heavy buying interest. 

At press time, the altcoin traded at $2.8169 after slipping 1.58% in the last 24 hours. Naturally, traders turned their focus to see if this XRP price support could prevent deeper losses.

Technical indicators pointed to a descending channel formation that could accelerate bearish momentum if broken. 

Can XRP bulls defend the $2.81 support zone?

XRP’s structure showed an extended consolidation within a descending channel, with Fibonacci retracement levels providing critical reference points. 

In fact, the 0.618 retracement sat near $2.75, while the 0.786 aligned with $2.65 — both acting as defenses below $2.81.

If sellers forced a breakdown, price risked sliding toward $2.52 or even the 1.618 extension at $2.15. However, a strong defense at $2.81 could set the stage for recovery, with resistance looming at $3.20.

Source: TradingView

A red flag for XRP?

On-chain data showed XRP’s Network Value to Transactions (NVT) Ratio spiking to 168, a massive 441% jump in 24 hours. 

This sharp increase suggested that transaction activity was not keeping pace with market valuation, often signaling that price may be running ahead of network usage.

Historically, high NVT levels preceded corrections as markets repriced risk. Having said that, such spikes did not always trigger immediate declines, especially during consolidation phases.

Source: CryptoQuant

Does Spot Taker CVD confirm sellers are still in control?

Spot Taker Cumulative Volume Delta (CVD) showed persistent sell-side dominance over the past 90 days.

This imbalance highlighted aggressive profit-taking and declining buyer absorption, reinforcing the bearish undertone. On top of that, taker sell orders consistently outweighed buys, making a decisive rebound difficult.

However, CVD trends can shift quickly if support zones attract renewed accumulation. 

Source: CryptoQuant

What do THESE clusters reveal about near-term risks?

Meanwhile, the Binance Liquidation Heatmap showed heavy liquidity clusters around $2.80 to $2.85, with dense activity concentrated slightly below current trading levels. 

If price breaks under $2.81, cascading liquidations could intensify downside pressure, potentially driving XRP toward $2.65. 

However, these same clusters also serve as magnets, occasionally fueling short squeezes when bearish momentum fades. 

Therefore, traders should view $2.80 not just as a danger zone, but also as a battleground where liquidation-driven volatility could determine short-term direction. 

Source: CoinGlass

Can XRP survive the test at $2.81?

Despite mounting bearish signals, XRP could still survive the test at $2.81. If buyers defended this XRP price support, resilience would be validated and recovery toward $3.20 could follow.

Conversely, if sellers overwhelmed the order book, the bearish case would take over, exposing downside targets at $2.65 and $2.52.

In short, $2.81 remained the dividing line between stability and a deeper correction.