|

Top 3 Price Prediction: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple – BTC, ETH and XRP dip on profit taking

  • Bitcoin price steadies around $121,000 on Wednesday after sliding more than 2.6% the previous day.
  • Ethereum closes below the key support at $4,488, with bears targeting the next support at $4,232.
  • XRP fails to find support around the previously broken bullish pattern, signaling a further correction ahead.

Bitcoin (BTC) price holds around $121,000 on Wednesday, following a drop the previous day. At the same time, Ethereum (ETH) and Ripple (XRP) followed BTC’s footsteps and corrected 5% and 4%, respectively, trading below their key support levels, hinting at further downside pressure.

This correction in the top three cryptocurrencies comes amid holders realizing profits. Santiments’ Network Realized Profit/Loss (NPL), which computes a daily network-level Return On Investment (ROI) based on the coin’s on-chain transaction volume. Strong spikes in a coin’s NPL indicate that its holders are, on average, selling their bags at a significant profit. On the other hand, strong dips imply that the coin’s holders are, on average, realizing losses, suggesting panic sell-offs and investor capitulation.

The metric showed a spike on Monday for BTC, ETH and XRP, indicating that holders are, on average, selling their bags at a significant profit and increasing the selling pressure.

NPL chart for BTC, ETH and XRP. Source: Santiment

NPL chart for BTC, ETH and XRP. Source: Santiment

Bitcoin dips after reaching a record high

Bitcoin reached a new all-time high of $126,199 on Monday after surging more than 10% in the previous week. However, BTC failed to continue its rally and corrected by 2.67% on Tuesday. At the time of writing on Wednesday, BTC hovers around $121,000.

If BTC continues its correction and closes below $120,000, it could extend the decline toward the next daily support level at $116,000.

The Relative Strength Index (RSI) on the daily chart reads 63 after falling from the overbought conditions on Monday, indicating a potential slowdown in bullish momentum and the likelihood of short-term consolidation.

BTC/USDT daily chart

BTC/USDT daily chart

However, if BTC maintains its upward momentum, it could extend the rally toward the record high of $126,199.

Ethereum closes below the $4,488 support level

Ethereum price broke above the daily resistance of $4,488 on Friday, found support around it and rose by 4.5% in the next three days. However, on Tuesday, ETH corrected 5% and closed below the $4,488 level. At the time of writing on Wednesday, it hovers at around $4,491.

If ETH continues its pullback, it could extend the decline toward the next daily support at $4,232.

The RSI on the daily chart reads 54 and points downward toward the neutral level of 50, indicating a slowdown in bullish momentum.

ETH/USDT daily chart

ETH/USDT daily chart

However, if ETH breaks above the $4,488 level and finds support around it, the rally could extend toward the all-time high at $4,956.

XRP fails to find support around the key level

XRP price breaks above the falling wedge pattern (drawn by joining multiple lows and highs with two trendlines since mid-July) on Thursday. However, XRP retested and found support around the upper trendline boundary in the next three days. On Tuesday, XRP corrected nearly 5% and closed below this support level. At the time of writing on Wednesday, it hovers around $2.87.

If XRP continues its correction, it could extend the decline toward the daily support level at $2.72.

XRP/USDT daily chart

XRP/USDT daily chart

However, if XRP recovers, it could extend the rally toward the daily resistance at $3.40.

Bitcoin, altcoins, stablecoins FAQs

Bitcoin is the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, a virtual currency designed to serve as money. This form of payment cannot be controlled by any one person, group, or entity, which eliminates the need for third-party participation during financial transactions.

Altcoins are any cryptocurrency apart from Bitcoin, but some also regard Ethereum as a non-altcoin because it is from these two cryptocurrencies that forking happens. If this is true, then Litecoin is the first altcoin, forked from the Bitcoin protocol and, therefore, an “improved” version of it.

Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies designed to have a stable price, with their value backed by a reserve of the asset it represents. To achieve this, the value of any one stablecoin is pegged to a commodity or financial instrument, such as the US Dollar (USD), with its supply regulated by an algorithm or demand. The main goal of stablecoins is to provide an on/off-ramp for investors willing to trade and invest in cryptocurrencies. Stablecoins also allow investors to store value since cryptocurrencies, in general, are subject to volatility.

Bitcoin dominance is the ratio of Bitcoin's market capitalization to the total market capitalization of all cryptocurrencies combined. It provides a clear picture of Bitcoin’s interest among investors. A high BTC dominance typically happens before and during a bull run, in which investors resort to investing in relatively stable and high market capitalization cryptocurrency like Bitcoin. A drop in BTC dominance usually means that investors are moving their capital and/or profits to altcoins in a quest for higher returns, which usually triggers an explosion of altcoin rallies.

Author

Manish Chhetri

Manish Chhetri is a crypto specialist with over four years of experience in the cryptocurrency industry.

More from Manish Chhetri
Share:

Editor's Picks

Ripple tests recovery strength amid steady ETF inflows, growing retail interest

Ripple (XRP) continues to demonstrate notable resilience as the cryptocurrency market navigates the persistent war in the Middle East after the United States (US) and Israel attacked Iran on Saturday.

Bitcoin extends gains as ETF inflows persist despite broadening US-Iran war

Bitcoin hovers around $73,000 on Thursday, driven by the US Stock market recovery, boosting risk-on sentiment. Data shows analysts are mostly bullish on Bitcoin, citing renewed demand from institutional investors, on-chain holders, and the derivatives market.

Crypto Today: Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP hold weekly gains despite US-Iran war

The cryptocurrency market is gaining strength on Thursday, building on Wednesday's upswing, which saw Bitcoin reach a weekly high above $74,000. Ethereum and Ripple are moderating their recent gains amid uncertainty stemming from the escalating war in the Middle East.

Pi Network eyes breakout rally as broader market recovers

Pi Network (PI) price extends gains above $0.1900 at press time on Thursday, following a 7% increase the previous day. The upcoming token unlock of more than 20 million PI tokens on Saturday looms over the short-term recovery. 

Bitcoin Price Annual Forecast: BTC holds long-term bullish structure heading into 2026

Bitcoin (BTC) is wrapping up 2025 as one of its most eventful years, defined by unprecedented institutional participation, major regulatory developments, and extreme price volatility.

Bitcoin: Another month of losses, and it’s been five

Bitcoin (BTC) price is stabilizing around $68,000 at the time of writing on Friday, but the Crypto King is poised to close February on a fragile footing, marking its fifth consecutive month of losses since October and a rare start to the year with back-to-back monthly corrections.