XRP fell roughly 6.6% in 24 hours on August 26 to about $1.37, the weakest performance among the 10 largest cryptocurrencies, after surging nearly 70% from $0.9877 on August 17 to $1.69 on August 22. That rally outpaced Bitcoin's 23.6% and Ethereum's 28.1% gains over the same period and pushed the daily RSI (relative strength index, a momentum gauge) to 88, a level last seen during XRP's July 2025 all-time high near $3.65. Crypto analyst ChartNerdTA called the move a genuine breakout fueled by a short-seller liquidity trap and positive funding rates, but described the subsequent pullback as a healthy correction. XRP has since dropped 18% from its $1.70 peak into the $1.40-$1.38 range. Traders are focused on whether XRP can defend $1.40: a daily close below it could expose support from $1.30 to $1.20 and potentially send the token toward $1.00, while reclaiming the weekly 50 EMA (exponential moving average, a trend indicator) near $1.54 could restore short-term bullish control and reopen a path toward $1.70. Longer-term targets of $1.80-$2.00 remain possible if momentum returns. EGRAG CRYPTO offered a more cautious view, warning that a fractal pattern first shared in March could leave momentum traders chasing local tops and panic-selling later bottoms if recent lows are not retested, while acknowledging the risk of confirmation bias. Six consecutive days of net inflows into XRP-linked ETFs, based on SoSoValue data, point to a leverage unwind rather than institutional departures. CryptoQuant analyst Pelinay said long liquidations reached $4.66 million, up 31.82% in one day, indicating that selling pressure may persist before stabilization. The next direction is likely to depend on whether buyers defend $1.40 in coming sessions.