Trading

XRP Ledger usage accelerated as XRP moved above $1.54 and tested $1.55, with on-chain metrics showing a notable jump in participation. The network recorded 48,453 active wallets and 3,317 new wallets, while large holders later reached a record share of supply as XRP traded around $1.43 at the time of writing.

XRP is hovering around $1.46–$1.48 and continues to struggle with the $1.50 resistance zone. Binance’s Estimated Leverage Ratio for XRP has risen to about 0.179, the highest level in nearly two months, increasing the chance that the next breakout or rejection could be amplified by liquidations. Technical levels in focus include support near $1.30–$1.35 and overhead resistance around the 200-day moving average near $1.70.

On May 16, charts for Hyperliquid (HYPE), XRP, Toncoin (TON), Ethereum (ETH) and Shiba Inu (SHIB) show multiple assets compressing under nearby resistance zones. HYPE is holding above the 100-day MA near $40.7 with supply at $48-$50, while XRP needs sustained closes over $1.50 and ETH faces a ceiling around the 100-day MA near $2,340. TON is trying to defend $1.90-$2.00 after a spike to $2.9, and SHIB is working below $0.0000064-$0.0000065 as buyers protect support near $0.0000060.

Bitcoin's whale-to-retail ratio has climbed to its highest level in nine months, while BTC has struggled for weeks to decisively clear $82,000. Separately, spot net purchases over the past 30, 60, and 90 days total $143.79 million, $783.13 million, and $2.17 billion, signaling cautious demand despite stronger whale participation.

Large XRP wallets have lifted holdings to 45.8 billion tokens, valued at over $68.5 billion, while the token's price has stayed largely range-bound. XRP has struggled to break above $1.5 since Q2 started and has traded between $1.3 and $1.6 through the first half of 2026. Options markets on Deribit implied just a 2% probability of XRP clearing $2 by the end of May.

U.S. ethics filings show President Donald Trump bought Palantir shares in early 2026, then later praised PLTR on Truth Social. The documents list purchases of $247,008 to $630,000 in the first three months of the year, including up to $530,000 across at least seven buys in March. The filings also show sales, including as much as $5 million on Feb. 10, alongside trades in Nvidia, Amazon and Apple.

On May 15, Bitcoin rebounded 1.55% to $80,900 as trading volume rose 25% to $44.82 billion. A whale opened a 700 BTC long worth $57 million with 10x leverage, while U.S. spot BTC ETFs posted net inflows of over $131.31 million. Traders are watching $82,700 as the key level, with a daily close above it seen as the trigger for a move toward $89,500.

Huang Licheng (known as "Machi Big Brother") reportedly closed most of his leveraged long positions in Ethereum and Bitcoin, booking losses close to $32 million. According to on-chain tracking data compiled by KuCoin, the drawdown was above $30 million as the positions were unwound, while he was said to still hold about 6,800 ETH after exiting BTC and other longs.

Bitwise plans to launch an ETF tied to Hyperliquid’s HYPE token, with shares set to begin trading May 15 on the NYSE under the ticker BHYP. The firm says the fund uses Bitwise’s in-house staking infrastructure and its prospectus lists a 0.34% sponsor fee, which it intends to waive for the first month on the first $500 million in assets.

XRP's derivatives leverage on Binance climbed to about 0.179 on May 15, marking a two-month high. The move coincided with XRP retesting supply near $1.50, increasing the odds of forced liquidations if momentum flips. XRP was down nearly 2% over the past 24 hours to around $1.44 at the time of reporting.