XRP traded near $1.38 on September 18, 2026, with a market capitalization of roughly $84.27 billion, according to CoinMarketCap. The token remained about 19% below its late-August high of $1.66 after losing the $1.40 level during a macro-driven sell-off earlier in the week. XRP has been stuck between $1.33 and $1.45 for two weeks.
The pressure came from hot U.S. inflation data. A producer price report pushed Bitcoin below $77,000 and triggered roughly $562 million in leveraged-bet liquidations in a single day, while market-implied odds of a Federal Reserve rate hike jumped to 63%. Altcoins were hit harder than large caps, and XRP briefly traded near $1.35.
Despite the decline, XRP held the $1.30 support zone that traders have defended since August. Analyst Ali Charts identified a demand band between $1.35 and $1.38, where about 3.2 billion XRP had previously changed hands. Exchange data showed heavy turnover rather than panic exit: on September 11, Binance recorded its largest single-day XRP inflow and outflow in six months, with $91.2 million entering and $113.9 million leaving, while exchange reserves barely moved. The chart has traced a descending triangle since August's run from roughly $1.00 to $1.70, and the range has narrowed to $1.30-$1.40. Analysts view $1.30 as the near-term floor, followed by the 50-day EMA around $1.21.
Institutional interest remained firm. A September 8 SEC filing showed a Charles Schwab money market fund holding nearly $4.8 million of XRP ETF shares as repo collateral. U.S. spot XRP ETFs held about $1.45 billion after August inflows of $154 million, the strongest month since November 2025. Ten months after the first U.S. spot XRP ETF launched, seven funds now trade with about $2 billion under management and roughly 1.1 billion XRP locked, with eight consecutive weeks of net inflows. Evernorth, a treasury company built around XRP, received SEC clearance and is heading to Nasdaq with at least 473 million XRP on its books.
Near-term catalysts include the Senate cloture vote on the CLARITY Act and the Federal Reserve's rate decision. A successful vote could quickly push XRP toward $1.40-$1.50. Technical targets cited by Ali Charts include $1.86 once XRP clears $1.55, with an extension toward $2.19. AI-based projections from ChatGPT put a short-term target at $3.50 and a 2026 range of $9 to $12, implying a market value between $566 billion and $754 billion, though that depends on continued ETF growth and XRP Ledger expansion. Ripple's product head described institutional credit on the XRP Ledger as its 'killer use case,' with new lending amendments now live.
