XRP Holds Above $1.50 as Selling Pressure Builds and the Market Waits for Its Next Move

XRP is trading at $1.50 as of March 18, down roughly 1% on the day and showing signs of increased selling pressure after the sharp rally that carried it from $1.36 to a peak near $1.62 between March 9 and March 17.

Volume has climbed to 11.59 million on the current 4-hour candle, noticeably higher than the 7.1 million recorded earlier in the session, suggesting the pullback is attracting more participation than the initial consolidation did.

Where the Structure Stands

According to analysis from EGRAG Crypto, XRP is pressing against what the analyst calls Zone 1, a resistance band between $1.65 and $1.70 that has defined the ceiling of price action for weeks. The current pullback is happening below that zone, with price now sitting closer to the base of the ascending triangle pattern that has been building since early March.

The triangle structure remains intact. Higher lows throughout the consolidation period indicate buyers are still stepping in at progressively higher prices, and the flat resistance ceiling above means liquidity is stacking just above the current range. That combination typically resolves with a directional break rather than a gradual grind, and the direction of that break is what the market is currently pricing in.

EGRAG assigns a 65% probability to a break above Zone 1 and 35% to a rejection or fakeout. The rejection scenario becomes more likely if broader market conditions deteriorate or if the regulatory momentum that drove the initial rally fades without a follow-through catalyst.

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The Two-Zone Framework

The distinction between Zone 1 and Zone 2 is important for understanding what different outcomes actually mean for XRP from here.

Breaking Zone 1 at $1.65 to $1.70 is the first step and confirms the ascending triangle has resolved to the upside. That move is driven by the existing regulatory narrative and the momentum already built into the structure. It is a meaningful move but not the larger expansion trade.

Zone 2, sitting above $2.60, requires a different set of conditions entirely. Institutional flows through ETF products need to grow meaningfully, Bitcoin dominance needs to stabilize or decline as capital rotates into altcoins, and XRP needs to establish sustained weekly closes in the $1.85 to $2.00 range as a new base. None of those conditions exist today, but the regulatory clarity established on March 17 is the foundational piece that makes all of them more achievable than they were a week ago.

What to Watch

The $1.50 level is the immediate line to hold. A clean daily close below it with continued high volume would weaken the triangle structure and shift the near-term bias toward the rejection scenario, with the $1.40 as the next meaningful support level.

On the upside, reclaiming $1.55 with conviction and pushing toward the $1.65 resistance zone is what the bulls need to demonstrate over the next several sessions. The structure is still constructive. The question is whether the market gives it time to develop or forces a resolution sooner.

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