Ripple [XRP] Just Slid 4% as Bitcoin Traders Hit the Brakes

Ripple [XRP] just slid 4% as Bitcoin [BTC] traders hit the brakes around the $105k resistance mark.

Ripple [XRP] slid 4% on Wednesday as Bitcoin traders hit the brakes around the crucial $105k mark.

At press time, XRP was trading at $2.42, battling to break past the immediate resistance at $2.72 while holding key support at its 50-day EMA at $2.27.

A break above that Fib level could open the door for a push toward the psychological $3.00 mark.

However, with Bitcoin (BTC) playing defense, the entire market was feeling the pressure. But if BTC manages to break decisively above $105k, can we expect altcoins like XRP to bounce back sharply?

Bitcoin squeezes, leaving Ripple in standstill

High-cap altcoins were largely confined to ranges, trading well below their weekly highs as Bitcoin’s liquidity crunch kept the market on edge.

In the past 24 hours alone, roughly $29 million in longs got liquidated—a classic instance of leverage puke. Zooming into the 4-hour chart, the story was the same: Bull-side exposure was getting steamrolled.

Bitcoin’s rally was stalling as it approached the critical $105,000 resistance. Momentum was slowing down, technical indicators were overheated, and some traders were taking profits—all classic signs of a topless setup.

Image: TradingView (BTC/USDT)

Shorts were clearly stepping in to try and fade the euphoria.

XRP wasn’t escaping the heat either. Short-sellers were in control, largely dictating the order flow and ambushing bullish entries.

Long liquidations on XRP had surged to $16.2 million, which accounted for nearly 80% of the total wipeouts on the altcoin.

Unless Bitcoin manages to flip the $105k zone with strong follow-through, expect more liquidity squeezes—which could make XRP’s path beyond $2.60 a difficult one in the short term.

BTC key to unlock XRP’s $3 play?

Recently, XRP briefly surpassed Tether [USDT] in market cap, claiming the third spot among crypto heavyweights. While short-lived, it delivered a strong psychological jolt to XRP bulls.

As AMBCrypto flagged earlier, with BTC grinding toward a local top, the rotation narrative was heating up.

Right on cue, XRP/ETH tagged a structural support zone, and with ETH looking overextended, the reversal play lit up.

As a result, XRP’s market cap shot past $150 billion, riding a momentum burst straight out of the rotation playbook.

The psychological impact? Tangible. Binance reserves for XRP slid from 2.906 billion to 2.89 billion—signaling active offloading into cold wallets or strategic accumulation.

Image: CryptoQuant

Overall, BTC’s sideways chop was pivoting capital flows toward altcoins, but the real fireworks will unfold when BTC breaks the $105k zone.

That’s when short squeezes will materialize in full force, and XRP is perfectly positioned to capitalize on that liquidity.

With robust on-chain demand building a solid foundation, hitting $3 XRP isn’t just a pipe dream. It’s a build-up waiting for a Bitcoin-fueled breakout.