Social sentiment around XRP and Ethereum has deteriorated sharply as the crypto market enters the fourth quarter of 2026, according to analytics firm Santiment. XRP's bullish-to-bearish comment ratio fell to 0.67, its lowest level since August 17, despite the token's September rally. Ethereum's ratio dropped to 0.89, its weakest reading since June 7. Both figures sit below 1.0, meaning bearish comments now outnumber bullish ones across platforms such as X, Reddit, and Telegram.
The data highlights a clear divergence between price performance and social expectations. September's advance briefly encouraged optimism, but it failed to sustain confidence in October. Some XRP holders have expressed frustration that reported institutional adoption developments have not generated the price response they anticipated. Santiment cautioned that the pessimistic mood does not guarantee an immediate rebound, although heavy fear can create a potential contrarian setup if selling pressure has already been exhausted.
Underlying on-chain signals remain notable. Ethereum whales accumulated roughly 60,000 ETH, worth about $162 million, over the past week, while former BitMEX CEO Arthur Hayes reiterated his view that ETH could reach $10,000 by year-end due to its scale and security. For XRP, daily exchange outflows involving transactions of at least 1 million tokens spiked above 320 million XRP. Traders are watching closely because a similar spike in August preceded a 42% price jump. Binance led the withdrawals, with Coinbase, Upbit, Bybit, and Bitget also recording large outflows, potentially reducing available selling pressure.
