XRP Shorts Cross $2B as Bears Face Pressure

TLDR

• XRP shorts reached $2.18 billion in 24-hour volume, slightly above long positions at $2.12 billion.
• XRP rebounded about 18.5% from its Sept. 16 low of $1.25 to around $1.48.
• Retail traders and whale accounts remain mostly bullish across Binance, OKX, and Bybit.
• Smart money sentiment turned extremely bearish on Binance and Bybit, while OKX showed the opposite trend.
• Short liquidations dominated, with nearly $8 million in shorts wiped out over 24 hours.

XRP shorts crossed $2 billion in 24-hour volume as traders increased bearish bets despite XRP’s rebound from last week’s low. XRP fell to $1.25 on Sept. 16 before recovering to about $1.482 by Sept. 21.

Short taker volume reached $2.18 billion, or 50.67% of total volume, while longs recorded $2.12 billion. The narrow gap shows futures traders remain divided after the 18.5% recovery from the September low.

Exchange Traders Still Favor Long Positions

Retail and whale accounts remain mostly long across Binance, OKX, and Bybit. Binance retail traders posted a 2.25 long-short ratio, while whale accounts reached 2.62. Bybit retail and whale accounts both recorded 3.12. Related coverage on XRP market pressure provides context as derivatives traders reassess positions during the rebound.

OKX retail traders posted a 1.91 ratio, while whale positions reached 2.18. Whale accounts stayed neutral at 1.00. Smart money shows a different pattern. Binance and Bybit readings stand Extremely Bearish, while OKX remains Extremely Bullish.

Short Liquidations Keep Building

The rebound has forced short sellers to absorb most liquidations. Total 24-hour liquidations reached $9.46 million, with shorts accounting for $7.98 million. Long liquidations reached about $1.48 million during the same period. One-hour losses reached $4.67 million, led by $4.55 million in shorts.

Over four hours, traders lost $5.49 million, including $5.34 million from shorts. Related coverage on XRP payment expansion offers separate context during the recovery. XRP volatility exceeded 8.28%, while 1,928 traders lost positions. The largest single liquidation reached about $1.05 million during the Sept. 21 peak hour.

XRP Shorts Face Key Price Levels

XRP shorts could face added pressure if price holds above $1.48. A sustained move could bring the $1.60 to $1.65 resistance area into focus. Further gains could expose $1.80 as the next level. Current liquidation activity remains below its seven-day average.

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However, bearish positioning remains active. Related coverage on XRP short ETF delays gives added context for newer leveraged downside-focused products. If recovery weakens, $1.35 to $1.38 could become the first support zone.

A deeper decline would return attention to the Sept. 16 low near $1.25. Lower leverage may limit forced selling, but futures positioning remains divided as traders watch the recovery. Price action around these levels will shape short-term positioning across major derivatives exchanges.