Speculative traders in the derivatives market launched a large-scale counterattack to defend the XRP token from a prolonged decline after the release of tough macroeconomic data in the US.
According to the analyst 'DarkFrost' from CryptoQuant, an abnormal capital inflow was recorded on Binance alone as key support levels broke: more than $184 million flowed into long contracts within a few hours. This allowed XRP to quickly recover from its drop below $1.30 and show a local rebound of 5%.
XRP Taker Buy Volume spikes on Binance as price dips below $1.30, Source: @darkfost_coc / CryptoQuant
The massive wave of selling began after XRP corrected by 22.5% from its September high of $1.65. Pressure on the cryptocurrency sector came from US consumer price (CPI) and producer price (PPI) indices that were “hotter” than expected, which triggered a drop in US stock indices.
However, some large players viewed XRP's drop below $1.30 as an extreme market asymmetry and opened positions against the current bearish trend.
All the money went to Binance (literally)
On-chain data confirms that the defensive wave of liquidity was isolated and bypassed other major exchanges, concentrating in one place:
- Abnormal volume on Binance: In the peak hour, the volume of market buy orders (Taker Buy Volume) on the exchange exceeded $73 million. Several subsequent hourly intervals brought in another $35 million each, forming a total of $184 million in speculative capital.
- Low activity on competing exchanges: Other major exchanges ignored the move. In the same peak hour, the volume of similar buys on Bybit was only $1 million, and on OKX, less than $451,000.
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Despite the short-term success of the strategy and the subsequent 5% price rise, analysts point to high risks for the market. The spike in the Taker Buy Volume metric in the derivatives market reflects the opening of leveraged positions rather than long-term interest from spot investors.
The high concentration of margin contracts in a narrow price range on Binance makes XRP highly vulnerable to cascading liquidations and guarantees increased volatility in the coming days.