1 Red Flag for XRP That Investors Shouldn't Ignore
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By Anders Bylund – Dec 18, 2025 at 2:57PM ESTKey PointsXRP gained 294% in November and December 2024, but it's down 8% year-to-date in 2025.Some catalysts arrived, but prices kept falling.A steep price drop isn't always a discount; sometimes it's just the market correcting a speculative overshoot.These 10 Stocks Could Mint the Next Wave of Millionaires ›CRYPTO: XRPXRPMarket Cap$110BToday's Changeangle-down(-2.28%) $0.04Current Price$1.82Price as of December 18, 2025 at 3:16 PM ETXRP is down 47% from its July highs. Is this a buying opportunity or a warning sign?XRP (XRP 2.28%) jumped sky-high at the end of 2024, gaining a heart-stopping 294% across November and December. XRP enthusiasts and investors expected smooth sailing after the new Trump administration ended that long-running regulatory lawsuit. As of Dec. 16, 2025, those bullish projections haven't really worked out. XRP is down 8% year to date, while the S&P 500 (^GSPC +0.97%) stock market index gained 15%. The core token of the RippleNet international payment system has also plunged 47% from July's short-lived all-time peak. ExpandCRYPTO: XRPXRPToday's Change(-2.28%) $-0.04Current Price$1.82Key Data PointsMarket Cap$110BDay's Range$1.81 - $1.9352wk Range$1.65 - $3.65Volume3.6B What XRP bulls expected A 47% drop sounds like a fire sale, but there's more to the XRP story than a volatile price chart. XRP's big jump wasn't inspired by massive adoption of RippleNet payments. It was more of a speculative boom as holders expected several catalysts to play out quickly. In a perfect world, XRP would have been included in the new government's cryptocurrency reserve holdings, igniting a global surge in trading and RippleNet payment activity.Advertisement Financial institutions would then build their own multibillion-dollar XRP portfolios, perhaps wrapped in the familiar format of exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Together, these moves should have sparked another round of game-changing XRP price gains. Image source: Getty Images. Here's the red flag XRP isn't worthless, but there's a huge red flag for this token. Where's the actual business? When I buy a stock, I want to see earnings, customers, growth. In cryptocurrencies, I must settle for real-world use cases and increasing activity in whatever the coin or token is supposed to do. With XRP, I see a lot of potential and not much proof. Some of the expected catalysts did play out. The lawsuit was settled, and XRP-based ETFs like the Canary XRP ETF (XRPC 3.10%) were approved a month ago. But RippleNet isn't managing more payments or larger transactions than it did two years ago -- and it's just a trickle of daily transactions. That $116 billion (with a B) market cap is built on big dreams and about $1 million (with an M) in annual transaction fees. Sorry, but that's too rich for my blood.Read NextDec 17, 2025 •By Dominic BasultoCan XRP (Ripple) Reach $4 in 2026?Dec 17, 2025 •By Dominic BasultoXRP vs. Dogecoin: Which Crypto Will Make You Richer?Dec 17, 2025 •By Alex CarchidiBetter Cryptocurrency to Buy Now With $4,000: XRP (Ripple) vs. DogecoinDec 14, 2025 •By Adam SpataccoIs XRP a Buy Heading Into 2026?Dec 13, 2025 •By Alex CarchidiRiskier Cryptocurrency to Buy Right Now: XRP vs. CardanoDec 13, 2025 •By Chris NeigerIs XRP (Ripple) a Millionaire Maker?About the AuthorAnders Bylund is a contributing Motley Fool media and technology analyst covering semiconductors, cloud computing, internet infrastructure, quantum computing, and streaming media. Previously, Anders was a systems administrator for Nielsen Technology and CSX, gaining hands-on experience with enterprise-class systems. He was also a freelance writer for Ars Technica, TIME, USA Today, CNN, WIRED, and AOL's Daily Finance. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in library and information sciences from Florida State University. He believes in coyotes and time as an abstract.TMFZahrimX@TMFZahrimStocks MentionedXRPCRYPTO: XRP$1.82 (0.02%) $0.04S&P 500 IndexSNPINDEX: ^GSPC$6786.50 (+0.01%) $+65.07Canary Xrp ETFNASDAQ: XRPC$19.35 (0.03%) $0.62*Average returns of all recommendations since inception. Cost basis and return based on previous market day close.Advertisement