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Recent on-chain metrics reveal why XRP is trapped in a low-momentum phase. Network usage has now drastically decreased, roughly 50% from its most recent pre-ATH levels, following a sudden spike in activity that nearly brought XRP Ledger to all-time highs. The decline is beginning to show up in the price.
XRP stays down
In terms of market structure, XRP is still in a more general downtrend, trading below its important moving averages and finding it difficult to create consistent buying pressure. The chart displays a weak consolidation range, with sporadic attempts to create higher lows but no significant breakout. Volatility is contracting rather than increasing, as the price is hovering around support.
To this stagnation, the on-chain data provides context. Recently, the number of successful transactions reached a peak of over four million, but it has since drastically decreased to about 2.2 million. Simultaneously, the average number of transactions per ledger has decreased from over 200 to less than 100. This type of contraction indicates a cooling-off period in network usage and is not noise.
XRP's network activity comes back
This is significant because XRP has traditionally relied less on pure conjecture and more on transactional utility narratives. Price stability, or even upside expansion, is typically supported when activity increases — one of the main pillars that could provide momentum is eliminated when it drops off this precipitously.
As of right now, the previously observed disconnect, high activity with flat prices, is resolving in the opposite direction. There is less activity, and the price is still low. This alignment implies that the market is currently recalibrating because the prior spike in usage was insufficient to start a long-term bullish trend.
From the standpoint of a trader, this results in a short-term neutral-to-bearish setup. XRP is likely to stay range-bound, or drift lower, in the absence of a fresh surge in network usage or a distinct technical breakout above resistance levels.
This is not, however, a completely bearish collapse scenario. If transactional activity stabilizes or starts to rise again, XRP could swiftly regain momentum. The current structure still exhibits accumulation near support.
Dan Burgin
U.Today Editorial Team
