XRP Price Manipulated? Crypto Pundits Alarmed By Market Patterns

The XRP community is abuzz with discussions of potential price manipulation. This debate is fueled by observations from key figures from the XRP army, who are raising concerns over unusual price patterns despite significant developments.

XRP Price Manipulation: The Initial Spark

Edward Farina, XRP Healthcare’s Head of Social Adoption, first brought this issue to light. He pointed out that despite Ripple’s consistent flow of positive news and developments over the past year, the price of XRP has remained relatively unmoved.

Farina compared this stagnancy to the price behaviors of other cryptocurrencies, which he notes often experience price surges on the back of less impactful news.

His statement via X was unequivocal: “So Ripple has [had] major excellent news for the past 12 months and the price of XRP hasn’t budged an inch. Any useless coin as soon as it has a crappy partnership goes up in price. And you still believe the price of XRP isn’t manipulated?”

The influencer known as WallStreetBulls added to the debate by highlighting recent abrupt changes in the XRP price. He specifically referred to a rapid increase and subsequent decline yesterday, which he alleges was a manipulative pump-and-dump scheme, leading to significant profits for certain players.

He stated, “[Yesterday’s] rapid pump and dump of XRP, which resulted in a minimum profit of around $5 million for some, highlights the effectiveness of quick market movements and manipulation for substantial gains.” The crypto pundit further alleges a systematic suppression of XRP’s price.

He pointed to an incident where a rumor about a Blackrock ETP correlated with a sudden rise in the XRP price to $0.75, followed by a drop to $0.58, and then a stabilization at $0.60 to $0.62, NewsBTC reported. He interprets this as evidence of deliberate market manipulation by entities with significant financial resources.

Previously, in an October 9 post, WallStreetBulls had raised similar concerns, suggesting that a small fraction of “wealthy elites” and “major bankers” were manipulating the market. He claimed that these groups, known for manipulating markets like gold, are now targeting XRP.

“There’s a significant market manipulation underway, and it appears that the 0.01% wealthy elite and major bankers are at the helm of it!” the analyst claimed.

Despite XRP’s regulatory clarity, especially following a court victory against the SEC, he believes it’s facing undue negative pressure in the market. He also accused several media outlets of launching attacks on XRP, presumably to diminish its value and credibility.

Dissenting Voices And The Need For Proof

It is important to note that not everyone in the XRP community is agreeing with this view. Crypto analyst Jaydee offered a different perspective in October, suggesting that recent price movements were part of a predictable short-term technical correction rather than evidence of manipulation. “Manipulation? Brotha, we knew this short term correction was coming weeks ago? how does he have all these followers,” he remarked.

Moreover, it is crucial to underline that, to date, there is no concrete evidence to substantiate these claims of market manipulation. The inherent volatility of the crypto market leads to price fluctuations, which various factors such as investor sentiment, market trends, and global economic conditions directly influence. As the debate continues, it’s imperative for investors and observers to critically evaluate these claims.

At press time, XRP traded at $0.6024.

XRP price

Ethereum User Tsunami: Record 94,000 New Accounts And $32 Million In Staked Funds

According to CryptoQuant’s data on November 4th, Ethereum (ETH) achieved a significant milestone. The aggregate amount of funds staked in the Ethereum 2.0 smart contract has experienced a notable surge, reaching a commendable sum of $32 million.

The current increase in value is indicative of a larger pattern in which investors are consistently and proactively investing in ETH, thereby propelling the Ethereum ecosystem to unprecedented levels of growth.

In the broader context of the year 2023, Ethereum’s exceptional performance is clearly observable, as it has contributed a significant $74.5 billion to its market value thus far this year.

The jump in market capitalization recorded at the beginning of the year on January 1 marks a significant gain of 51% from the initial value of $146 billion.

The latest data trends from on-chain sources also reveal a significant rise in the number of new user addresses for Ethereum. This demonstrates the platform’s ability to withstand the unexpected departure of Binance founder Changpeng Zhao and the consequent minor decline in cryptocurrency markets that occurred last Wednesday.

On Friday, Ethereum (ETH) demonstrated a noteworthy resurgence as it successfully regained the price level of $2,100. This quick recovery occurred following the instability caused by the resignation of Zhao and the $4.3 billion settlement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

The consistently changing market dynamics draw attention to the possible consequences of the increase in user activity, prompting investors and analysts to observe the trajectory of Ethereum.

Related Reading: BLUR Clears The Way With 80% Blowout – Will Price Continue Soaring?

On the hourly chart, the price of Ethereum (ETH) currently resides within the central region of the local channel, indicating a state of equilibrium. This suggests that the market is gathering momentum and preparing for a potential significant price movement in the near future.

Meanwhile, upon examining Glassnode’s New Addresses chart, it becomes evident that there has been a notable increase in the user population of Ethereum. Specifically, the Ethereum network witnessed the creation of 94,451 fresh ETH addresses subsequent to recent news occurrences.

Upon further analysis of the chart, a significant insight emerges: the most recent occurrence of Ethereum witnessing a substantial influx of new participants took place in July 2023.

The provided data highlights a notable increase in interest and engagement within the Ethereum ecosystem, indicating a significant influx of players that has not been observed since the middle of the year.

(This site’s content should not be construed as investment advice. Investing involves risk. When you invest, your capital is subject to risk).

Featured image from Freepik

Road To $1: Why Did Terra Classic (USTC) Rise 300% In One Day?

TerraClassicUSD (USTC), the algorithmic stablecoin tied to the LUNA ecosystem, recently went on an upward trajectory to register gains of over 300%. In a stunning cascade of events, the token’s price spike in the past 24 hours has left investors wondering about the implication for Terra Classic (LUNC) and the potential revival of the LUNA ecosystem.

USTC Coin Spikes 300% In One Day

USTC has lost most of its usefulness as a stablecoin since its implosion in 2022 when it was known as UST. The stablecoin lost its peg to the US dollar which resulted in a chain of events that led to its sister token, LUNA, also losing most of its value and the demise of the Terra-LUNA blockchain ecosystem. After it lost its peg to the US dollar, the stablecoin was rebranded as UST Classic and its value fell to as low as $0.01.

It’s already been more than a year since the crash, but it looks like the token and some members of the LUNA ecosystem are not ready to give up yet. The latest price action has seen the token spike 300% from $0.01569 to $0.0755 in the past 24 hours. The catalyst for this surge can be attributed to Terra Classic Labs (TCL), a LUNC community project.

Terra Classic Labs was created in October 2023 by some members of the former thriving LUNA ecosystem. According to its website, it is dedicated to supporting new LUNC projects for the revival of the Terra ecosystem.

In a social media post by Trader QT, an official partner of Luna Classic Labs, the team made a massive purchase of approximately 25.6 million USTC for $500,000 at an average price of $0.021 per $USTC. This move sent USTC spiking, fueling hopes that Terra Classic Labs can help revive and stabilize the cryptocurrency.

Can Terra Classic Return To $1?

Although the move by Terra Classic Labs sent USTC on a surge, the stablecoin is still trading at $0.0516, far from a $1 price point. The crypto will have to register another gain of 1837% from its current price before it can regain its peg to the US dollar, showing how far behind it is.

The recent price action however did have some sort of bullish action on Terra Classic LUNC, as it has also spiked by 25% in the past 24 hours. Terra Classic is trading at $0.0001004 at the time of writing.

Although the Terra Classic community hasn’t given up on the cryptocurrency, the LUNA ecosystem has since rebranded and moved from Terra Classic LUNC to a new chain (Terra 2.0) with its own native token called LUNA

It would seem LUNA also reacted positively to the TerraClassicUSD surge as data from Coinmarketcap shows LUNA has increased by 17.8% in the past 24 hours and is now trading at $0.79.

USTC price chart from Tradingview.com

Cardano: AI Chatbot Starts Beta Phase, ADA Price Eyes 22% Uptick

CardanoGPT has officially announced the beta launch of its AI-powered chatbot, Girolamo. This initiative marks a substantial advancement in the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies with the Cardano blockchain ecosystem. Named after the influential Italian mathematician Girolamo Cardano, the chatbot intends to symbolize the fusion of historical intellectual legacy with contemporary technological innovation.

Girolamo is engineered to provide a range of functionalities, including content generation, image generation, and image interpretation, which are tailored to accommodate diverse user inquiries. This suite of capabilities enables the chatbot to offer real-time, contextually aware responses, extending its utility beyond standard blockchain applications. The inclusion of image-related functionalities represents a significant technological stride, enhancing the interactive experience and broadening the scope of its applicability.

To participate in the beta testing phase of Girolamo, users are required to hold a minimum of 5000 CGI tokens, as outlined by CardanoGPT. Access to the chatbot is facilitated through the CardanoGPT Discord server, where users undergo a wallet verification process. Upon successful verification, users are granted the @cyborg role, enabling them to interact directly with Girolamo in the designated chat channel.

CardanoGPT’s announcement emphasizes that Girolamo is still in its beta phase, suggesting ongoing development and potential enhancements. This phase is critical for assessing the chatbot’s performance, user experience, and overall functionality within the Cardano ecosystem. The company has highlighted its commitment to continuous innovation and development, aiming to maintain a leading position in the convergence of AI and blockchain technology.

Cardano Price Poised For 22% Surge?

ADA has seen a strong upward trend since breaking out of the downward trend (black line) on October 21, which has caused the price to rise by over 60%. For the past two weeks, however, the rally has come to a standstill. The price is in a consolidation after the ADA was rejected at the 0.786 Fibonacci retracement level at $0.411.

However, the AI narrative and potential hype in this market segment could be significantly bullish for the Cardano price once the launch of Girolamo is on the horizon. AI tokens have seen some sharp price movements over the past few months, driven by news around the progress of OpenAI and other companies.

In the short term, the ADA price may need a retest of support at the 0.618 Fibonacci retracement level at $0.37 to herald the next upward move. Remarkably, the price level is of double importance as the 20-day exponential moving average is also at this price level.

If this price level is defended in the next few days, it could be the precursor to the next move higher. The obvious target would be the yearly high at $0.463. Reaching this price would mean a 22% rally from the current price.

Cardano ADA price