XRP fell over 4% in the past 24 hours, leading losses among major cryptocurrencies as the broader market stalls after last week’s sharp rally.
Bitcoin continues to hover above $104,000, with traders predicting a steady rise past $105,000, a level now acting as both psychological and technical resistance.
The crypto market's total capitalization declined 2% to $3.3 trillion, according to CoinGecko, with majors such as Ethereum (ETH) and Solana (SOL) also pausing near their 200-day moving averages — a region that may either signal consolidation or the start of a short-term pullback.
“Bitcoin has been smoothly forming a top for the past seven days,” said Alex Kuptsikevich, chief market analyst at FxPro. “This kind of setup typically signals a correction is due, especially when paired with slippage in equities and profit-taking in gold.”
The Crypto Fear & Greed Index dipped slightly from 73 to 70, still in “greed” territory but suggesting momentum has faded.
SignalPlus’s Augustine Fan said markets may continue to grind higher unless equities roll over, but warned that BTC is likely to struggle against interim resistance at $105,000. He noted Ethereum may benefit more in the near term as part of a broader crypto uptrend, especially with improving inflows and relative strength in altcoins.
Fan also reiterated a macro shift in capital allocation that favors crypto. “We think the 'anti-dollar' ledge is more structural this time around,” he said. “Investors are increasingly rotating into emerging markets, precious metals, and crypto as a way to hedge geopolitical and currency risk.”
BTC’s recent rally appears to be fueled by spot market demand, not excessive leverage, according to K33 Research. That undercurrent of buying, especially from retail and Asia-based wealth managers, could help sustain bullish sentiment, even if near-term price action remains range-bound.
Nick Ruck of LVRG Research added that the lull in price may stem from caution ahead of upcoming macroeconomic data and concerns about the longer-term impact of recent U.S. trade deals.
“The lull in activity may stem from anticipated volatility ahead of future macroeconomic and policy reports, along with investor reactions to inflation fears from American consumers that drove less spending in the country last month,” Ruck said.
“Traders are cautiously bullish as the US trade deals push prices higher, but concerns remain about the long-term impact from tariffs after the deals with major trading partners have been finalized,” he added.
For now, markets are holding their breath just below key breakout levels, with the next decisive move likely to reset direction across the board.
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