Shorts Pile Up, Setting Up a Squeeze

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Ahmed Barakat

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Ahmed Barakat

Part of the Team Since

Mar 2024

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Ahmed Barakat is a journalist and copywriter based in Georgia with a growing focus on blockchain technology, DeFi, AI, privacy, digital assets, and fintech innovation.

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CryptoNews Editorial Team

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Sep 2018

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The CryptoNews editorial team is composed of seasoned writers specializing in cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. Their expertise ensures comprehensive, accurate, and insightful content for…

Last updated: 

September 29, 2026

XRP price is trading near $1.48, slipping by a modest 0.5% over the past 24 hours, yet our prediction based on the derivatives market tells a stranger story. Short sellers have piled in aggressively even as the asset grinds higher on a multi-day view. Something has to give, and the data hints at which side blinks first.

Between September 16 and 28, XRP’s All-CEX Estimated Spot Cumulative Volume Delta fell from roughly -$2.27 billion to around -$2.70 billion, a $430 million decline. Binance’s perpetual CVD also moved deeper into negative territory, indicating continued aggressive selling across spot and derivatives markets.

Despite the selling pressure, XRP gained 15% over the period, climbing from around $1.30 to $1.49. Meanwhile, CoinGlass data showed XRP spot netflows at -$17.11 million over 24 hours and -$60.33 million over seven days. The negative netflows indicate more XRP moved out of exchanges than into them, which can reduce immediately available exchange supply and is consistent with accumulation, although it does not prove long-term holding.

The market backdrop adds friction. XRP gained 16% in a single week during an earlier short squeeze, then dropped 7% in a day once sellers defended the $1.60 area, with about $2.01 million in long liquidations hitting Binance, Bybit, and OKX during the latest pullback.

This tension is defining this chart right now: crowded shorts, stubborn spot accumulation, and a resistance band that keeps rejecting buyers.

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XRP Price Prediction: Will XRP Hit $1.70 This Week?

XRP sits at $1.48, down 2.1%-3.2% on the day, consolidating after failing to hold $1.60. Immediate support clusters at $1.50-$1.52, with a firmer floor at $1.48-$1.50; a break below that level would meaningfully weaken the short-term structure. Resistance stacks at $1.55-$1.60 first, then $1.65-$1.70, according to levels tied to a $1.50 reclaim scenario.

Bull case happens if XRP can reclaim of $1.60, which opens a path toward $1.70-$1.75, potentially forcing short covering given the CVD imbalance. Likely it will continue its chop between $1.48 and $1.60 while spot accumulation slowly absorbs perpetual selling.

However, a sustained loss of $1.48 invalidates the setup and drags the price toward the psychological $1.00 zone. Our analysts project a 2026 base target of $1.76 within a $1.49-$2.11 range. Traders watching whale positioning should also track futures data and ETF-related flows for confirmation before committing size.

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Maxi Doge Targets Early Mover Upside as XRP Tests Key Levels

Crowded shorts against rising spot accumulation is exactly the kind of setup that rewards patience over conviction chasing. XRP holders sitting through this chop have validated their thesis. However, a squeeze toward $1.70 on an asset already valued in the tens of billions isn’t going to double anyone’s stack overnight. That math pushes some traders toward earlier-stage plays where the leverage comes from entry price, not derivatives.