XRP continues to show strength despite recent market volatility. While Bitcoin experienced sharp moves, XRP’s price action has remained relatively stable. As of now, XRP is trading around $2.20, with strong support forming between $2.17 and $2.23.
Looking ahead to next week, several key economic events could cause short-term swings in the broader crypto market. On Wednesday, investors will closely watch the core PCE inflation report and GDP data, followed by jobless claims and manufacturing PMI on Thursday. Friday’s unemployment data will round out the week. Although this data can trigger intraday volatility, analysts believe it is unlikely to shift XRP’s long-term trend unless results differ significantly from forecasts.
From a technical perspective, XRP remains within a broader trading range, despite recent lower highs and lower lows. Analysts suggest this movement still supports the idea of consolidation rather than a full downtrend. XRP might briefly dip toward $2.05, but a continuation to $2.35 or $2.40 appears more likely if current support levels hold.
Volume for XRP remains relatively low, but its 84% correlation with Bitcoin means it may mirror BTC’s movements in the short term. For now, XRP is holding steady, and unless there is a major shift in macroeconomic data, it may see gradual upward movement in the coming days.
Shiba Inu lead Shytoshi Kusama has once again stolen the spotlight with his recent location update on social media. For context, the Shiba Inu creator has recently mentioned “Cracking The Chrysalis”, which has sparked discussions among investors. Some see this cryptic update as a hint towards something big ahead for the SHIB ecosystem.
So, here are three likely hidden meanings behind this move.
Shytoshi Kusama Location Hints Bullish Signal For SHIB Ecosystem
Shytoshi Kusama’s latest location update hints at major updates ahead for the broader SHIB ecosystem. Notably, a chrysalis is a cocoon stage before a butterfly emerges, often representing transformation. This change in Shiba Inu creator’s location suggests that SHIB might be on the verge of a major breakthrough.
Meanwhile, an X user and SHIB enthusiast KURO SHIBARMY JPN was among the first to highlight this mysterious update. The shift from listing a real-world location to this cryptic phrase hints at something significant brewing behind the scenes. Many in the community interpret it as a bullish signal for upcoming developments.
Layer-3 Shibarium Upgrade
Another speculation surrounding Shytoshi Kusama’s update is the long-awaited Layer-3 solution for Shibarium, called Shib Alpha. The project, in development since early 2024, aims to enhance the network’s speed, security, and transaction efficiency.
Earlier this year, the Shiba Inu creator revealed that he had traveled globally, securing $12 million in funding for the Layer-3 network. The funds were raised through the sale of the TREAT token. TREAT serves as the backbone of this new upgrade, bringing more functionality and scalability to Shibarium.
If the location update is linked to this development, it could mean the Shiba Inu ecosystem is nearing a major milestone, with Shib Alpha potentially set for an imminent release.
Shiba Inu’s Growing Vision
The Shiba Inu aims to evolve into a fully decentralized ecosystem apart from being only a mere project. The Layer-3 upgrade, hinted at by the latest Shytoshi Kusama location update, will prioritize user protection while allowing them to control what information they share.
In addition, the Shib Alpha is expected to integrate SHI, the ecosystem’s long-awaited stablecoin. With lower gas fees and improved transaction speeds, this upgrade could make SHIB a strong contender in the broader digital assets space.
In other words, the latest location update hints that the Shiba Inu ecosystem is currently in a transitioning state. With bullish speculations hovering after Shytoshi Kusama’s update, the market participants anticipate major updates ahead for the SHIB ecosystem.
Shiba Inu Price Soars
Amid the soaring speculations, SHIB price today surged nearly 5% and exchanged hands at $0.00001269. However, the crypto has lost around 8% over the last 30 days. Despite that, a recent Shiba Inu price analysis hints at a strong rally ahead for the crypto with Ethereum playing a crucial role in it.
On the other hand, TREAT price today surged around 20% to $0.0003297. This indicates the growing investors focus towards the broader SHIB ecosystem, especially after Shytoshi Kusama’s cryptic update. Besides, another SHIB analysis indicates a potential rally of 175% as total Shiba Inu holders soared past the 1.5 million milestone.
Welcome to the US Crypto News Morning Briefing—your essential rundown of the most important developments in crypto for the day ahead.
Grab a coffee to understand why the share price of Cantor Equity Partners Inc. (CEP) is seeing downside pressure while the share price of Strategy’s stock (MSTR) is increasing. CEP is the company behind 21 Capital, a newly established firm imitating Strategy’s Bitcoin model.
Crypto News of the Day: Max Keiser Issues 21 Capital Warning as CEP Shares Sink
Twenty One Capital’s ambitions to become the next major corporate Bitcoin player are under fire. The share price of its holding company, Cantor Equity Partners Inc., is bearing the brunt of overhead pressure.
The CEP stock price is down by over 6% in the last five trading days. Meanwhile, the share price of its market rival, Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy), is up by over 7%.
Headed by James Mallers, Twenty One Capital presented as Strategy’s inadvertent market rival, or peer. It introduced BTC-native metrics like Bitcoin Per Share (BPS), effectively challenging Strategy’s model, where investors have indirect exposure to Bitcoin through MSTR stock.
In a recent US Crypto News publication, Bitcoin pioneer Max Keiser said institutions must “Saylorize” or die. Nevertheless, despite Twenty One Capital extending the “Saylorization” trend, the CEP stock price continues to endure downward pressure while Strategy’s stock price is gaining.
Against this backdrop, investors hoped that hype around Cantor Equity Partners Inc.’s planned SPAC merger could reverse the trend, but this appears to be false hope. Notably, the merger would see CEP stock listed under the new ticker XXI.
“Cantor Equity Partners (CEP) announced a merger with bitcoin treasury company Twenty One Capital in a $3.6 billion merger,” reports indicated.
The announcement propelled shares of the SPAC vehicle, Cantor Equity Partners (CEP), sharply higher, but now momentum is fading.
Investors who hoped for a post-merger rally have watched the stock drift downward toward the mid-$20s over the past five days.
BeInCrypto contacted Max Keiser for insights into why this is happening, with the Bitcoin maxi blaming it on Twenty One Capital’s model mimicking Strategy.
Mimicking Strategy Could Be Detrimental, Max Keiser Says
According to Max Keiser, Twenty One Capital’s attempt to mimic Strategy could prove far riskier and less effective.
“There’s a big difference between a company with a Bitcoin treasury strategy and a Bitcoin strategy company,” Keiser told BeInCrypto.
Keiser says Strategy is leveraging its heft as a company with lots of Bitcoin, harnessing volatility to buy more BTC. However, Cantor Equity Partners Inc. or Twenty One Capital does not meet that standard.
“CEP is a company that is looking to buy lots of Bitcoin, which is very volatile. I question if they can effectively harness that volatility like Strategy does,” he added.
Twenty One Capital is the third-largest corporate Bitcoin holder after Strategy and Bitcoin mining firm MARA Holdings. Data on Bitcoin Treasuries shows Strategy holds 568,840 BTC, while MARA holds 48,237 Bitcoin tokens.
Meanwhile, after Tether acquired 4,812.2 Bitcoin (now held in an escrow wallet as Twenty One Capital prepares to complete a SPAC merger with Cantor Equity Partners), Twenty One Capital holds 36,312 Bitcoin tokens.
Corporate Bitcoin holders by portfolio size. Source: Bitcoin Treasuries.
In the interview with BeInCrypto, Keiser articulated that trying to copy Strategy’s model without the infrastructure, discipline, or scale puts 21 Capital in a precarious position.
“A Bitcoin strategy company is inherently riskier, with no clear path to be as competitive as Strategy in leveraging market volatility to capture more Bitcoin,” he stated.
Further, despite the surge in interest from investors hoping to jump on what appeared to be the “next big BTC play, Keiser believes the long-term winner is already clear.
“Ultimately, the big winner will continue to be Strategy, with dozens of knock-offs trying to catch them, failing to generate the same returns, but increasing demand for Bitcoin substantially. That ends up benefiting STRATEGY proportionately more than the knock-offs, with less risk,” he concluded.
This aligns with a sentiment from Steven Lubka, the Head of Swan Private Wealth. As BeInCrypto noted in one of the US Crypto News publications, Lubka said the inadvertent competition between Twenty One Capital and Strategy will ultimately bode well for Strategy.
“Ironically, someone throwing the gauntlet at Microstrategy, ‘we want to become the most successful company in Bitcoin, ‘ Only makes Microstrategy more valuable,” Lubka remarked.
Charts of the Day
Strategy’s MSTR stock price performance. Source: Google Finance
This chart shows Strategy Inc.’s stock price rose by $28.61 or 7.28% over the past five days, closing at $421.61 on May 14.
Cantor Equity Partners (CEP) stock price performance. Source: Google Finance
This chart shows a 5-day decline in Cantor Equity Partners Inc.’s stock price, down by 6.22% since May 7. CEP closed at $29.84 on Tuesday and is attempting a slight pre-market recovery.
Byte-Sized Alpha
Here’s a summary of more US crypto news to follow today:
XRP is up 7% over the last week of April, but May 2025 could bring even bigger moves as major catalysts line up. Key metrics like NUPL and active addresses show a market at a crossroads, with strong optimism and warning signs.
Hype around ETF approvals has stirred volatility, and real institutional inflows could decide XRP’s next major trend. Traders should prepare for a month where both sharp rallies and deep corrections remain firmly on the table.
XRP NUPL Signals Rising Confidence, but ETF Rumors Stir Volatility
XRP Long-Term Holders Net Unrealized Profit/Loss (NUPL) is currently at 0.73. This places it firmly in the “Belief – Denial” stage of the market cycle. The indicator measures the average unrealized profit among long-term holders.
It has been stuck in this zone since March 27, over a month ago. In general, NUPL values above 0.75 indicate “Euphoria—greed.”
Readings between 0.5 and 0.75 show belief that prices can rise, but there is also the risk of denial if momentum weakens.
The current value has risen from 0.68 three weeks ago to 0.73 today. Long-term XRP holders are seeing larger paper gains. Still, the market could soon face a critical moment where either continuation or a correction emerges.
Rumors about an SEC-approved spot XRP ETF have recently caused confusion, adding more fuel to market volatility. In reality, only ProShares’ leveraged and short XRP Futures ETFs were approved to begin trading on April 30. A true spot ETF has not been approved.
Although the futures approval is seen as a positive step for XRP’s long-term legitimacy, spreading false information has damaged investor confidence. It has also created unnecessary instability.
Some experts predict that a future spot ETF could eventually drive up to $100 billion in capital inflows into XRP. However, until that happens, volatility driven by rumors and miscommunication remains a major risk for the token.
XRP User Engagement Slows as Active Addresses Stay Below 200,000
XRP’s 7-day active addresses have dropped significantly, currently at 147,000, compared to their all-time high of 1.22 million, which reached March 19.
Monitoring active addresses is crucial because it offers real-time insight into user engagement, transaction volume, and overall ecosystem health—lower address activity often signals waning interest, reduced transaction flow, and a softer foundation for sustained price growth.
Since April 1, XRP’s 7-day active address count has consistently stayed below 200,000, reinforcing that user activity has yet to recover fully.
While the drop does not necessarily mean a major price collapse is imminent, it highlights a critical point: strong rallies are often backed by growing network participation.
Without a meaningful pickup in active addresses, XRP could struggle to maintain momentum or ignite a new bullish phase soon.
XRP ETF Approval Could Trigger 49% Rally, But Downside Risks Remain
The final approval of a Spot XRP ETF could become a major catalyst for the token’s price. It would potentially unlock significant institutional inflows. Recently, the world’s first XRP ETF began trading in Brazil.
Experts predict that, if real demand follows the approval like it did with Bitcoin, XRP price could rally sharply. The next major upside target is $3.40, representing a 49% increase from current levels.
This move would be driven by fresh inflows, greater mainstream acceptance, and a tightening supply as more investors gain direct exposure through regulated channels.
On the downside, if momentum fails to recover and a strong downtrend takes hold, it could face a sharp correction. A break below the psychological $2.00 level would expose the token to deeper losses, with the next major support around $1.61.
Such a move would imply a 29% drop from current prices, reflecting a scenario where optimism around ETFs fades and selling pressure takes over.
In this case, XRP could remain stuck in a broader consolidation or bearish phase until stronger catalysts appear.
