Ripple’s XRP hit a year-to-date high of $1.63 on November 23. However, fading bullish momentum has made future traders doubtful about the rally’s sustainability. An increasing number are opening short positions, expecting a near-term price correction.

Currently trading at $1.44, XRP has declined by 6% in the past 24 hours. This analysis explores the recent activity in the token’s futures market and assesses the likelihood of a continued XRP price decline.

Ripple Traders Bet on a Price Drop

A drop in its open interest has accompanied XRP’s price decline over the past 24 hours. Per Coinglass data, this sits at $2.52 billion, falling by 9% during that period. 

Open interest refers to the total number of active contracts in a derivatives market, such as futures or options, that have not been settled. When open interest drops as an asset’s price falls, traders are closing their positions to lock in profits or minimize losses, indicating reduced market participation. 

In XRP’s case, this suggests waning confidence in the continuation of the uptrend and hints at a sustained reversal in the asset’s price movement.

Moreover, XRP’s Long/Short ratio confirms this bearish outlook. As of this writing, this sits at 0.96%, with 51% of all positions opened shorting the altcoin. 

The Long/Short ratio measures the proportion of long positions (bets on price increases) to short positions (bets on price decreases) in a market. When the ratio is below 1, it indicates that there are more short positions than long positions, suggesting a bearish sentiment among traders. 

This imbalance in the XRP market reflects growing pessimism about the asset’s near-term prospects and may contribute to continued downward pressure on its price.

XRP Price Prediction: More Declines Imminent

XRP is currently trading at $1.44, holding above the $1.33 support level. If bearish sentiment intensifies, the price could drop to this support. A further decrease in buying pressure at that level may push XRP down to $1.15.

On the other hand, a shift in market sentiment from negative to positive will invalidate this bearish outlook. Should this happen, the altcoin will reclaim its year-to-date high of $1.63 and attempt to surpass it.

Gemini co-founder Cameron Winklevoss has called for a renewed investigation into the dropped campaign finance charges against Sam Bankman-Fried, the convicted founder of the now-defunct FTX exchange.

Winklevoss emphasized the need for the incoming US Attorney General to address unresolved concerns about how these charges, tied to election interference involving stolen customer funds, were handled.

Winklevoss Demands Probe Into FTX-Linked Election Interference Accusations

In a November 23 post on X, Winklevoss expressed the belief that the campaign finance allegations remain a critical issue. He pointed to the Department of Justice under Merrick Garland, which declined to pursue these charges due to extradition technicalities with the Bahamian government.

According to Winklevoss, the DOJ chose not to work through the required legal processes to include the campaign finance violations in the indictment, leaving the matter unaddressed.

“Merrick Garland’s DOJ refused to pursue campaign finance charges against SBF because they were not included in his extradition…Since when has paperwork stood in between a prosecutor and adding more charges? Especially when it involves election interference with $100m of stolen customer funds,” Winklevoss stated.

Federal prosecutors initially dropped the campaign finance charge last year, attributing their decision to objections from Bahamian authorities. This charge involved over $100 million allegedly funneled from Alameda Research to fund more than 300 political contributions.

According to the indictment, these contributions, often made through straw donors or corporate funds, aimed to enhance Bankman-Fried’s influence in Washington, D.C.

The indictment also noted that Bankman-Fried became a top political donor in the 2022 midterm elections. He allegedly used the funds to gain favor with candidates across party lines, potentially shaping legislation favorable to FTX and the broader crypto industry.

Winklevoss’ remarks come as other key figures in the FTX collapse face their consequences. While Caroline Ellison and Ryan Salame received sentences of two years and 7.5 years, respectively, Gary Wang and Nishad Singh avoided prison by cooperating with prosecutors. Bankman-Fried is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence for fraud and other crimes.

Meanwhile, FTX has announced plans to implement its approved reorganization strategy starting in January. The exchange’s bankruptcy managers have recovered billions of dollars for creditors and are intensifying efforts to reclaim assets held by other entities.

Solana’s (SOL) price clinched a new all-time high of  $264.39 during the trading session on November 23. Its price has since witnessed a 3% correction, causing the popular altcoin to exchange hands at $255.12 as of this writing.

Despite this pullback, the bullish bias toward the altcoin strengthens. An assessment of its daily chart highlights two reasons why a new Solana all-time high may be on the horizon.

Solana Bulls Relegates Its Bears

On the SOL/USD one-day chart, its price is positioned above the green line of its Super Trend indicator. This indicator measures the overall direction and strength of a price trend. It appears as a line on the chart, changing color based on the prevailing trend: green signifies an uptrend, while red indicates a downtrend. 

When the Super Trend line is above an asset’s price, it signals a downtrend, suggesting continued bearish momentum. In Solana’s case, when the Super Trend line turns green and moves below the price, buyers are in control.

This green line often acts as a support level, where increased buying pressure can drive a rebound following price dips. For Solana, this support is currently set at $213.53.

Further, the coin’s price rests significantly above its Ichimoku Cloud, confirming this bullish outlook. This indicator tracks the momentum of an asset’s market trends and identifies potential support/resistance levels.  

When an asset’s price rests above the Ichimoku Cloud, it signals a bullish trend. It indicates that the asset is on an upward trend with the potential for further gains. In this case, the Cloud is a dynamic support zone below the price, reinforcing bullish sentiment.

SOL Price Prediction: New High on the Horizon

At press time, SOL trades at $255.12, below the new resistance at its all-time high of $264.39. If buying pressure strengthens further, the coin’s price will flip this level into a support floor and attempt to touch a new peak.

On the other hand, if profit-taking activity resurges, SOL’s price will shed some of its current gains to trade at $231.35. Should this level fail to hand, SOL’s price will fall toward the support formed by its Super Trend indicator at $213.53. This will invalidate the possibility of a new Solana all-time high in the near term.