After years of trading below its previous all-time high from 2018, XRP finally broke through the $3.40 ceiling to hit a fresh record of $3.65 on Friday, July 18. The move capped off a rally that had seen the cryptocurrency rise by 68% from its July open.  Related Reading: Whales? No, Newbies: Surge In New BTC Holders Fuels Market Rally—Study However, XRP has returned to hovering around the $3.40 to $3.50 zone following the breakout, and attention is shifting to the possibility of a strong pullback. Interestingly, prominent XRP analyst Egrag Crypto says that a retest to $3.12 might be necessary before any further price increase.  Analyst Points To $3.12 As Retest Zone In a new post on social media platform X, respected crypto analyst Egrag Crypto cautioned that XRP may be due for a retest of the $3.12 level. The analyst referenced the Fibonacci 0.888 level, which currently sits at $3.1279, as a logical support zone if XRP were to retrace from its current price zone. According to his technical chart, XRP is currently consolidating within a descending channel on the 4-hour candlestick timeframe chart since it peaked at $3.65. However, it is still trading above $3.40, which is a bullish sign. “Staying above Fib 1.0 ($3.40) is a super bullish sign,” he noted, “but we still need to keep an eye on the descending channel.” Keeping this in mind, XRP could break below the $3.40 level, and a retest could happen at Fib 0.888 ($3.12). The $3.12 level stands out not just because of Fibonacci symmetry, but also because it coincides with an order block that formed as XRP pushed to new highs. If XRP returns to test this level and holds firm, it may confirm strength in the current rally structure and build the foundation for a continued climb toward the 1.21 Fibonacci extension, which is situated at $4.16. Chart Image From X: Egrag Crypto Bullish Momentum Still Intact Although some investors may see a drop to $3.12 as a setback, Egrag believes the outcome could actually be bullish in the bigger picture. “If we do see a retest here, it could set us up for another launchpad,” he explained. However, skipping the retest entirely would be even more telling as a clear sign that the bulls are stronger than anticipated. Related Reading: $57 Billion Mistake? Ex‑Ripple Engineer Reveals XRP Investment Blunder A clean hold above $3.40 in the coming days would point to bullish dominance, especially if XRP breaks out of the yellow descending channel featured in Egrag’s chart. On the other hand, a controlled revisit to the $3.12 zone may offer a better entry point for new investors and prepare XRP for its next leg up to the $4.16 price target highlighted in the analysis. At the time of writing, XRP is trading at $3.49. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView Source: newsbtc.com (Read Full Article)

Aside from a new all-time high in the Bitcoin market, the last trading week also heralded some altseason shouts as a slight price decline by the premier cryptocurrency coincided with significant price rallies by major altcoins. A popular market analyst with the X username PlanD has weighed in on these recent market developments, highlighting three factors that would confirm the presence of an altseason. Related Reading: Why Bitcoin Price Failed To Break $123,000 In The Past Week — Analyst Explains A BTC.D Retest At 63% May Mark Crucial Altseason Moment – Analyst Over the last week, a bullish rise in the altcoin market cap to $1.45 trillion sparked widespread speculations about the current status of the altseason. Interestingly, in an X post on July 19, PlanD outlines three market events that will signal the altseason’s commencement, namely a potential pullback in both Bitcoin and Ethereum, alongside a critical technical development in Bitcoin dominance (BTC.D). Following Bitcoin’s ascent beyond $121,000 and Ethereum’s price rise above $3,400, PlanD says the first two signals to watch for are healthy corrections in these assets’ prices. Specifically, the analyst explains that pullbacks toward the $111,000 and $3,250 regions for Bitcoin and Ethereum, respectively, present an ideal situation that would allow capital to rotate from Bitcoin into altcoins, effectively causing a decline in BTC.D. Far from indicating weakness, PlanD says this retracement could actually catalyze the rise broader crypto market. Notably, if Ethereum finds support at $3,250, the ETH/BTC pair could strengthen, creating a favorable setup for altcoin rallies. This is because a stronger ETH/BTC pair is often a precursor to altcoin outperformance, as it signals increased investor appetite beyond Bitcoin. The third and perhaps most pivotal signal is unfolding in Bitcoin dominance. After months of holding above a rising support trendline, Plan D notes BTC.D has broken below it, signaling a potential change in market structure. However, the next test lies at the 63.40% dominance level. Should BTC.D retest this zone and fail to reclaim it, the analyst believes a new downtrend in dominance may begin, i.e., presenting the largest hallmark of altseason. In case of this scenario, PlanD also tells investors to expect strong bullish momentum in tokens linked to sectors such as real-world Assets (RWA), artificial Intelligence (AI), and gaming beyond the large and medium-cap tokens on popular blockchains. Related Reading: Tom Lee Predicts $30,000 Per Ethereum As Treasury Frenzy Begins Crypto Market Overview At the time of writing, the total crypto market cap is valued at $3.83 trillion following a 0.20% decline in the past day. More data from CoinMarketCap shows the Fear & Greed index sits at 69, suggesting a healthy level of risk appetite from investors. Importantly, the altseason index ranks at 42, indicating a rising momentum in the market’s favor for altcoins. Featured image from TechCentral, chart from Tradingview Source: newsbtc.com (Read Full Article)