Market Divergence: Bitcoin Under Pressure, XRP Ignites Bullish Speculation

The broader cryptocurrency market is currently exhibiting divergent trends for its major assets. Bitcoin (BTC) is grappling with significant selling pressure from long-term holders, while XRP (XRP) is experiencing a surge of bullish speculation fueled by institutional partnership rumors.

Bitcoin Whales Trigger Bearish Sentiment

Charles Edwards of Capriole Investments has highlighted a concerning trend where “OG” Bitcoin whales, those holding for over seven years, have been actively cashing out their holdings. Since June, over 1 million BTC have been sold off by these long-term investors, contributing to a prevailing bearish sentiment. Despite this substantial selling pressure, the market has shown unusual resilience, absorbing large liquidations without drastic price declines observed in previous cycles. However, Wall Street analysts note Bitcoin’s underperformance throughout 2025, and market struggles intensified with a significant liquidation of leveraged crypto positions on October 10. Markus Thielen, CEO of 10X Research, suggests the inability of Bitcoin to regain critical support levels ($117,000 and $112,000) indicates a potential bear cycle. Thielen warns of further corrections, citing a potential “air pocket” below $93,000 that could drive prices down to the $70,000 range, advising that a buyable bottom might be “a few weeks away.”

XRP Fuels Excitement with BlackRock Partnership Rumors and Price Predictions

In stark contrast, the XRP community is abuzz with excitement over unconfirmed rumors linking Ripple, the crypto payments company, with BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager. Speculations suggest that a potential collaboration could involve establishing infrastructure for the tokenization of BlackRock’s substantial $5.3 trillion ETF liquidity. Analysts like ‘The Real Remi Relief’ suggest such a partnership could send XRP price soaring to $1,000 by the end of 2025, advising holders to prepare for a “market-wide supply shock.” Further fueling this optimism, a valuation model circulating within the community places XRP’s potential price above $18,000. Ripple’s existing expansion into Real-World Asset (RWA) tokenization and its network’s design for efficient asset transfers positions it as a strong candidate for facilitating such large-scale institutional integration. The recent Ripple Swell event, featuring BlackRock’s participation, has further reinforced these optimistic outlooks. Technical analysis by @Steph_iscrypto suggests XRP is mirroring past parabolic phases, having broken through a long-term resistance level and potentially on the verge of another explosive bull run within the next 1-3 months, following historical surges of over 100,000%.