XRP briefly fell below the closely watched $1 level before rebounding on Aug. 16 as veteran trader Peter Brandt renewed his criticism of the cryptocurrency and said he would prefer Bitcoin even if given a large XRP position.
Summary
- Peter Brandt said he would immediately convert a hypothetical 500,000 XRP position into Bitcoin instead.
- XRP briefly traded below $1 before rebounding toward $1.06 during Sunday’s volatile cryptocurrency market session.
- CoinGecko places XRP’s record high at $3.65, reached on July 17, 2025, before current decline.
- Brandt had warned in March 2025 that XRP could fall toward $1.07 after support failed.
- Binance XRP whale inflows averaged $61 million over three months, their lowest level since 2021.
Brandt wrote in an X post that he was not interested in owning the token after another user challenged his views. “Who the heck even cares about XRP?” Brandt wrote, adding that he trades futures and “I would convert it immediately to BTC” if he owned half a million XRP. His remarks describe a personal asset preference, not a disclosed transaction or new trading position.
XRP rebounds after briefly falling below $1
XRP traded below $1 during Sunday’s session. A CoinGecko snapshot showed the token near $0.9993, while the latest market feed checked for this report put XRP at about $1.059. Bitcoin was trading near $62,926. The price movement has not been linked to Brandt’s post.
At $1.059, the hypothetical 500,000 XRP position discussed by Brandt would be worth about $529,500, equivalent to roughly 8.4 BTC at current prices. Brandt did not say he actually controls such a position.
The latest weakness leaves XRP about 71% below its record price. CoinGecko places its all time high at $3.65 on July 17, 2025. The same data source showed the token as much as 72.6% below that peak while XRP was trading under $1 earlier Sunday.
Brandt has repeatedly challenged XRP’s price outlook
Brandt’s latest comments continue a long running debate with XRP supporters. In March 2025, he identified what he called a textbook head and shoulders pattern. His chart suggested XRP could fall toward $1.07 if key support failed, while a move above $3 could invalidate the bearish structure.
XRP eventually traded near the level he identified, although reaching a technical target much later does not prove that the original chart caused or accurately predicted the decline. Market conditions changed materially between the March 2025 analysis and August 2026.
Brandt has also repeatedly criticized the conviction of some XRP traders. In December, he wrote that XRP and silver bulls were among the groups he had found easiest to provoke during his trading career dating to 1975.
His preference for Bitcoin also should not be interpreted as an immediate bullish Bitcoin forecast. As crypto.news recently reported, Brandt said Bitcoin could revisit roughly $58,000 after a large head and shoulders breakdown. He explicitly said he had not entered that trade and presented the decline as a possible scenario rather than a confirmed destination.
Onchain data shows reduced whale transfers to Binance
XRP’s test of $1 comes while one measure of potential exchange selling pressure has fallen sharply. CryptoQuant contributor Darkfost reported that the three month average of XRP whale inflows to Binance had declined to about $61 million, its lowest level since 2021.
As crypto.news reported, XRP whale inflows to Binance fell to their lowest level since 2021, compared with $456 million in January 2025 and $355 million in October. Lower exchange deposits can indicate less potential sell side supply, but they do not guarantee higher prices because demand can weaken simultaneously.
XRP had already been testing the same psychological level before Brandt’s latest comments. In related coverage, XRP traded near $1 as futures positioning increased, leaving traders focused on whether the support could survive sustained selling rather than a brief intraday break.
What happens next for XRP
The immediate market question is whether XRP can establish support back above $1 following Sunday’s recovery. A brief move below a round number does not by itself confirm a longer term breakdown. Traders would need additional price action, volume and market structure evidence before treating the move as durable.
Brandt has not published a new XRP price target alongside his Aug. 16 criticism. His comment was about preference between XRP and Bitcoin, not a forecast that XRP will fall further. Any attempt to present the post as a fresh bearish price prediction would therefore go beyond what he actually said.
For now, the verified developments are separate: XRP briefly lost $1 before recovering, whale deposits to Binance have fallen sharply, and Brandt remains unwilling to hold the token despite its current price being close to the $1.07 area he identified in a 2025 technical scenario.
Disclosure: This article does not represent investment advice. The content and materials featured on this page are for educational purposes only.
