XRP fell towards the $2 mark in the early US hours on Friday as social sentiment around the token deteriorated sharply, with new data from analytics firm Santiment showing the deepest stretch of bearish commentary since October.
The change in crowd mood comes after a decline of approximately 31% in two months, leaving the token vulnerable to further declines if risk appetite weakens across all major currencies.
Santiment’s sentiment model, which tracks positive and negative social message flows against price, shows XRP entering what the company calls a fear zone, a level where negative comments materially outweigh bullish talk.
Similar readings at the beginning of the year have aligned with periods of capitulation by short-term holders, although not all cases have marked lasting bottoms.
The firm noted a parallel with Nov. 21, when a comparable increase in negative messages preceded a brief rally of around 22% over the next three days before the momentum faded. He suggested traders monitor whether sentiment stabilizes or continues to deteriorate, a change that often shapes positioning in heavy retail markets.
XRP has held up better than some smaller tokens, but remains sensitive to rapid deleveraging and the disappearance of carry trades linked to the US data release and changes in global risk appetite.
