XRP price has quietly slipped into an uncomfortable spot. The price is down about 9% over the past 30 days, momentum feels stale, and positive social chatter around the token has turned noticeably sour. At first glance, that looks like weakness. But XRP has a history of doing its best work when enthusiasm disappears.

This time, the problem dragging sentiment lower may also be the exact condition that sets up the next move. Possibly led by a key holder group.

The Problem: Positive Sentiment Collapses as Short-Term Holders Exit

The core issue is not price. It is sentiment.

XRP’s positive social sentiment has dropped to a three-month low, falling sharply from recent highs. This metric tracks how often XRP is discussed positively across social platforms. When it collapses, it signals crowd fatigue rather than panic buying.

History shows this matters.

In mid-October, a similar sentiment drop preceded a rally of roughly 15% over the following days. In early November, another local low in positive sentiment was followed by a 17% advance within a week. Late November showed the same pattern, with prices rising about 14% after sentiment hit a trough.

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This time, the sentiment drop is deeper than those prior lows.

😨 XRP is seeing far more negative social media commentary than average. Historically, this setup leads to price rises. When retail has doubts about a coin's ability to rise, the rise becomes significantly more likely.

🔗 Monitor $XRP sentiment here: https://t.co/hYbezd8qH0 pic.twitter.com/FOcIlRb9BQ

— Santiment (@santimentfeed) December 22, 2025

That sentiment dip could be powered by the short-term holders. HODL Waves, which track how long coins have been held, show that wallets holding XRP for one day to one week have reduced their supply share sharply. This cohort held about 2.97% of the supply earlier this month. That figure has now fallen to roughly 1.18%, a drop of more than 60%.

In simple terms, fast, possibly retail, money has lost interest and moved on. That is the problem weighing on XRP sentiment. The next section highlights why it isn’t such a bad thing.

The Solution: Long-Term Holders Are Selling Less, Not More

Here is where the story changes.

While short-term holders are exiting, long-term holders are doing the opposite. Data tracking long-term holder net position change shows that selling pressure from these wallets has dropped meaningfully.

Earlier this month, long-term holders were selling roughly 216 million XRP per day. That figure has steadily fallen to about 103 million XRP, a reduction of more than 50% in selling activity.

This matters because long-term holders tend to act early, not late. When they slow distribution during periods of weak sentiment, it often signals quiet accumulation or strategic patience.

The problem for XRP is crowd apathy. The solution is that experienced holders are no longer feeding supply into that apathy.

XRP Price Levels That Decide Whether the Solution Works

If this sentiment-driven setup plays out again, the XRP price levels will confirm it quickly.

An initial move toward the next resistance at $2.03 implies an upside of roughly 8% from current levels. Clearing that zone would open room for a larger push toward the next resistance bands, $2.09 and $2.17, where prior rallies stalled.

On the downside, XRP must hold its key support at $1.77. A breakdown there would invalidate the sentiment-driven thesis and signal that long-term holders are no longer absorbing supply.

For now, the structure remains intact.

XRP’s biggest problem is that positive sentiment has vanished. But history shows that when optimism disappears, weak hands leave first and strong hands step in. If that pattern repeats, the same problem weighing on the XRP price today could become the solution that unlocks its next move.

The post XRP Sentiment Has Collapsed — And That May Be the Setup Bulls Are Waiting For appeared first on BeInCrypto.

The AAVE price has been under steady pressure. The token is down nearly 5% over the past 24 hours and more than 18% over the past seven days. That weakness has played out alongside ongoing DAO governance disputes and renewed sell-off fears.

On the surface, this looks like a distribution. Exchange balances are rising, and sentiment has cooled. But under the hood, something does not line up. While supply is moving toward exchanges, large holders have quietly stepped in, treating the sell-off as an entry point rather than an exit. The question now is simple. What bullish setup are whales positioning for while the market focuses on governance risk?

Exchange Supply Rises as Governance Pressure Lingers

Aave’s sell-off did not appear out of nowhere. Governance tensions have been building for weeks, creating uncertainty around revenue flows and DAO control. That uncertainty has shown up clearly in on-chain supply data.

🚨 @aave is having a full blown civil war

And it might be the biggest governance fight defi has ever seen.

Heres a clean breakdown 👇

Aave has two sides:
– Aave labs → a centralised entity founded by stani
– Aave dao → token holders who govern the protocol

Now heres what… pic.twitter.com/zFnhcN5vSc

— Observe (@obsrvgmi) December 22, 2025

Since December 16 (Poison Pill proposal day), AAVE supply on exchanges has climbed from roughly 1.22 million tokens to about 1.42 million tokens. That is an increase of nearly 200,000 AAVE, or roughly 16%, in just over a week.

Aave DAO Faces Governance Clash Over Control of Aave Labs 👀

An AAVE token holder has proposed a controversial “poison pill” strategy that would allow the Aave DAO to seize control of Aave Labs’ intellectual property, brand, and equity, effectively turning the company into a DAO… pic.twitter.com/SC1gd1KYhs

— Karon (@pangestu_karon) December 18, 2025

Rising exchange balances usually signal potential selling pressure, and the price action confirms that concern, with AAVE sliding almost 18% over the same period.

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This shift is notable because it reverses what happened earlier in the month, on December 16. When Aave’s regulatory overhang eased in mid-December, exchange balances dropped sharply as confidence improved. Now, with governance issues dragging on, supply has moved back toward exchanges, reinforcing near-term caution.

On its own, this setup looks bearish. But the exchange supply is only one side of the market.

Whales Buy the Dip as Sell-Off Fears Peak

While exchange balances have increased, large holders have moved in the opposite direction.

Over the past 24 hours, Aave whales increased their holdings by 12.63%, bringing their total stash to 183,987 AAVE. That implies fresh accumulation of roughly 20,600 tokens, worth about $3.1 million at current prices.

At the same time, public figure wallets, which include verified funds and well-tracked entities, raised their holdings by 13.55%, lifting their balance to 274,652 AAVE. That increase represents roughly 32,700 tokens, or about $5 million.

Combined, these two cohorts added more than 53,000 AAVE in a single day. At the current price, that is over $8 million accumulated directly into weakness.

This divergence matters. When exchange supply rises, but whales accumulate, it often reflects short-term fear being absorbed by longer-term conviction. Instead of reacting to governance noise, large holders appear to be positioning around structure, not headlines.

That brings us to the chart.

The Bullish AAVE Price Trigger Whales Are Positioning For?

The price action provides the missing link.

AAVE has repeatedly defended the $147 zone, forming the head of a developing inverse head-and-shoulders pattern. This pattern typically signals a possible trend reversal after prolonged downside pressure, especially when it forms during elevated fear.

The structure remains compressed under a descending neckline line, meaning sellers still control the broader trend. But the trigger is clear. A decisive move above $182 would begin to shift momentum. Clearing $193 would confirm the breakout and open upside toward $207, then $232, with $248 as the larger recovery target.

The risk is equally defined. If AAVE loses $147, the bullish structure breaks. That would likely invite renewed selling pressure, with downside risk toward $127. For now, whales appear to be betting that support holds, and structure resolves higher.

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