XRP Price Opened Trading at $2.25 on Thursday, March 19

Ripple (XRP) was among the top-performing altcoins last week, driven by reports that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was considering classifying XRP as a commodity

The price of XRP opened trading at $2.25 on Thursday, March 19, with key derivatives trading signals suggesting bullish key derivatives trading signals ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve’s rate decision.

Can XRP price breach the $2.50 resistance in the upcoming trading sessions?

Ripple (XRP) was among the top-performing altcoins last week, driven by reports that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was considering classifying XRP as a commodity as part of its settlement talks with Ripple.

The anticipation that this move could eliminate a significant regulatory hurdle for altcoin ETF approvals fueled a strong rally. Investors flocked to XRP, alongside other top altcoins such as Litecoin (LTC), Cardano (ADA), and Hedera (HBAR), with ETF approval filling in progress, all of which posted double-digit gains before facing corrections this week.

However, this week, the momentum has shifted away from XRP as new ETF developments have emerged.

Canary Capital’s filing for a SUI spot ETF—its sixth altcoin ETF filing —alongside Nasdaq’s Polkadot ETF application has spurred fresh investor interest. As a result, both DOT and SUI have experienced notable surges in price.

A broader market analysis suggests that investors are rotating capital out of last week’s top gainers, including XRP, in pursuit of these emerging narratives. This capital rotation has seen Litecoin (LTC), Solana (SOL), and Aptos (APT) experience increases in selling pressure, resulting in a reduction in trading volume.

Despite XRP’s price struggling to maintain momentum this week, investors have shifted capital into emerging altcoins like Polkadot (DOT) and SUI, driven by fresh ETF narratives.

Despite the bearish sentiment evident in the spot market, derivatives trading data reveals a more optimistic outlook, with traders positioning for potential upside ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve’s rate decision.

Three vital derivative trading indices suggest an imminent bullish reversal in XRP price momentum:

1. XRP Derivatives Volume Rises 7.34% as Open Interest Expands

XRP derivatives trading volume has seen a 7.34% increase, reaching $5.05 billion, while open interest (OI)—the total value of active futures contracts—has edged up 1.85% to $3.19 billion. This signals an uptick in market participation, as traders are actively opening new positions in anticipation of heightened volatility. An increase in OI usually indicates confidence in an impending price move.

2. Long/Short Ratio Shows Strong Bias Towards Levers Buys

On major exchanges, traders are displaying a strong preference for long positions in XRP. The long/short ratio on Binance XRP/USDT futures is at 2.394, implying that there are nearly 2.4 long positions for every short. Similarly, OKX's long/short ratio stands at 2.01, further indicating a bullish outlook. When traders disproportionately favor longs, it often suggests an expectation of upward price movement.

3. Sell-Side Liquidations Decrease as Buys Increase

Crucially, XRP's sell-side liquidations have decreased significantly, suggesting that bearish pressure is easing. In contrast, buy-side liquidations have experienced an uptick, indicating that leveraged traders are positioning for an upward move in the price. This shift reduces the risk of downside volatility and supports the case for a potential recovery rally from recent price lows.

XRP Market Outlook:

Although short-term price action shows consolidation below the $2.30 level, XRP derivatives traders seem to be positioning for a breakout toward $2.50.

With open interest on the rise, a positive long/short ratio, and decreasing sell-side liquidations, XRP appears poised for an upward move—pending the broader market's reaction to the Fed's rate decision on Wednesday.