XRP slides as bearish price structure persists despite muted sentiment

XRP continued to trend lower on Wednesday, 4 February. It extends a months-long downtrend as market structure weakness persisted despite the absence of extreme fear or capitulation across social channels.

At the time of writing, XRP was trading around the mid-$1.50 range, marking one of its weakest levels since late 2024. 

While the broader crypto market has also faced pressure in recent sessions, XRP’s decline stands out for its persistence — and for what sentiment data suggests about trader conviction.

A downtrend that refuses to break

On the daily chart, XRP remains locked in a clear sequence of lower highs and lower lows that has been intact since October. 

Attempts at recovery have repeatedly stalled below prior resistance zones, with each rebound followed by renewed selling pressure.

Recent candles show elevated volume on downside moves, reinforcing the view that distribution is driving price action. 

Source: TradingView

Notably, the latest dip did not coincide with a sharp volatility spike, suggesting sellers remain in control without needing a shock event to push prices lower.

From a market-structure perspective, this behaviour often reflects buyer exhaustion rather than aggressive bearish positioning.

XRP sentiment remains subdued, not fearful

Weighted sentiment for XRP has hovered around neutral-to-negative territory for several weeks, but without the sharp pessimistic extremes typically associated with capitulation bottoms.

In previous cycles, major XRP drawdowns were often accompanied by abrupt spikes in negative sentiment, followed by reflexive rebounds as selling pressure became overcrowded. 

Source: Santiment

This time, sentiment has remained relatively flat, indicating limited emotional engagement from market participants.

The absence of strong positive sentiment spikes during brief price recoveries further suggests that traders are not positioning aggressively for a near-term reversal.

Mixed narratives, limited conviction

A closer look at positive versus negative sentiment shows intermittent bursts on both sides, but neither has established sustained dominance. 

Social activity has been reactive rather than directional, with commentary spiking briefly around price moves before quickly fading.

Source: Santiment

This pattern shows that narratives are failing to translate into lasting demand. While the token continues to attract periodic attention, those moments have not been sufficient to alter the prevailing trend.

In market terms, this often points to a lack of catalysts capable of shifting positioning at scale.

Price weakness without panic

The divergence between persistent price weakness and muted sentiment suggests XRP is not undergoing a fear-driven selloff. Instead, the market appears disengaged, with buyers stepping aside rather than actively defending key levels.

Such conditions can prolong downtrends, as prices drift lower in the absence of strong counterflows. Historically, meaningful reversals tend to occur only once either sentiment reaches exhaustion or a structural catalyst forces repricing.

For now, neither condition appears to be in place.

Final Thoughts

• XRP remains technically weak, with the prevailing downtrend intact despite the absence of aggressive bearish sentiment.
• Muted social activity suggests downside pressure is being driven by market structure rather than panic-driven selling.