XRP slipped below $2 as liquidity and demand across altcoins weakened. On Binance, futures taker buy volume fell from above $5.8 billion in July to roughly $250 million, a 95.7% drop, highlighting fading conviction. Derivatives signals and price action under key moving averages point to elevated downside risk.

On December 15, CryptoQuant data showed short-term holders moved about 24.7K BTC to exchanges near ~$88.2K, with 86.8% realized in profit and over $1.89 billion in value. As price slipped toward ~$85K on December 16, STH inflows fell to 3.9K BTC while long-term holder inflows were muted, indicating profit-taking rather than structural distribution.

Ethereum is trading above $3,200 while on-chain data shows its price moving close to the realized cost basis of wallets holding more than 100,000 ETH, near the $2,500 zone. This level, which has only been tested four times in the last five years according to CryptoQuant, has historically acted as a structural floor and coincided with major market turning points. At the same time, ETH faces resistance around its 50-day moving average and key overhead levels between $3,400 and $3,600.

XRP has been trading close to its lowest price of the year, with the chart showing a clear deterioration in trend structure while broader market sentiment stays cautious. At the same time, a CryptoQuant report notes that whale wallets are stepping up trading and accumulation, and the XRP Spot Taker CVD has shifted to taker-buy dominance. This combination of rising large-holder activity and stronger aggressive buying is often seen around market bottoms, even though price remains below key moving averages and overall demand is still weak.

Bitcoin slipped back under $91,000 after the Federal Reserve cut interest rates by 25 basis points, sparking short-term volatility across risk assets. On-chain metrics from Binance show Exchange Inflow Coin Days Destroyed dropping to 380, the lowest level since September 2017, signaling that long-term holders are largely avoiding deposits to exchanges. With BTC trading around $89,600 and price trapped between the 200-day and 100-day moving averages, the market sits in a fragile consolidation while whales appear reluctant to sell.

Following the latest FOMC meeting, where the Federal Reserve cut rates by 25 basis points, Ethereum slipped toward $3,160–$3,196 and market sentiment turned cautious. A well-known Bitcoin OG expanded a leveraged long to 120,094 ETH worth about $392.5 million, with liquidation set at $2,234.69, according to Lookonchain. With ETH still below major moving averages near $3,300, the position faces rising risk if volatility spikes or support around $3,050–$3,100 is revisited.

Ethereum has climbed above $3,300 and briefly approached $3,400, but many analysts still regard the broader trend as structurally bearish. On-chain data from Lookonchain shows whale trader BitcoinOG has expanded a leveraged long to 85,001 ETH, worth about $280 million, with more than $16 million in unrealized gains. This aggressive positioning comes just before an FOMC rate decision, leaving ETH trading between whale accumulation and macro uncertainty near the $3,380–$3,420 resistance band.

Ethereum has pushed above $3,350 after rebounding from the $2,800 area, raising doubts over how far the current momentum can run. Funding rates across major exchanges remain unusually low compared with earlier rallies, signaling limited leveraged long positioning, according to a CryptoQuant report. The price is trading near the 200-day moving average, with resistance concentrated in the $3,350–$3,400 band.

Ethereum rebounded above $3,150 after a volatile decline, while broader market sentiment remains split between expectations of further downside and hopes for a bull cycle into 2026. On-chain data from Hyperdash, shared by Lookonchain, shows several of the most profitable whale traders have opened Ethereum long positions totaling hundreds of millions of dollars. Large allocations by BitcoinOG, the Anti-CZ whale, and pension-usdt.eth indicate these players view recent ETH lows as a buying opportunity rather than a warning signal.