TL;DR

• XRP’s recent pullback hasn’t shaken investor confidence, with one market observer viewing the $2 zone as a buying opportunity.
• Whales have been making bold moves, scooping up almost one billion tokens in a month, as there are rising expectations that a spot XRP ETF could see the light of day in the US this year.

Time to Buy?

Ripple’s XRP recorded explosive price growth towards the end of 2024, rising from approximately $0.55 to over $2 in a matter of weeks. The positive performance continued at the start of the new year, with the price almost matching its all-time high of $3.40 on January 16. This coincided with the overall bull run of the crypto market witnessed around Donald Trump’s inauguration as America’s 47th President.

In the following months, though, XRP lost some steam. It experienced enhanced volatility and eventually settled at the current $2.10 (per CoinGecko’s data).

Despite the downtrend, some popular analysts remain unfazed and see the ongoing condition as a buying opportunity. One example is the X user Captain Faibik, who thinks that XRP at $2 “is an absolute gift.” They also presented a potential bullish scenario in which the price could surge to nearly $5 in the near future. 

Meanwhile, Crypto Tony told their over 520,000 followers on X that they “remain long above $2,” hoping for the bulls to reverse the recent slump. 

Dark Defender and John Squire also chipped in. The former set short-term targets of $4.40 and $6.30 but warned that investors should keep an eye on the important $2 level. For his part, Squire argued that XRP “is not dead” but “loading,” describing the asset as “the biggest sleeping giant in crypto.”

The Return of the Whales

Recently, large investors went on a massive buying spree, accumulating around 900 million XRP in the span of a month. The USD equivalent of the stash is just south of $2 billion. 

Additionally, the number of addresses holding more than 10,000 XRP peaked at a record of above 300,000. X user Amonyx labeled this as “insanely bullish” as it serves as “absolute proof of surging investor confidence.”

After recent developments, the official end of the legal battle between Ripple and the SEC seems only a formality, and the event is unlikely to cause any price fluctuations for XRP.

As such, investors have shifted their focus toward the potential launch of a spot XRP ETF in America, which could drive further interest in the asset and push its price up. Those curious to explore what has happened on that front can take a look at our dedicated article here.

Polymarket estimates that the approval odds before the end of 2025 stand at around 77%. So, who knows, maybe that’s what the whales have been filling their bags for. 

Ethereum is currently consolidating below a major resistance area after rejecting at the $1,850 zone. While the price is holding relatively stable, the momentum is weakening.

Open interest and funding data point to cautious optimism, but upside continuation depends on the buyers defending key short-term levels.

Technical Analysis

The Daily Chart

Following the aforementioned rejection at the supply zone, ETH has stalled in a consolidation area with diminishing momentum. The price is still trapped below both the 100-day and 200-day moving averages, which continue to slope downward, signaling bearish macro structure.

The recent rally from $1,500 was strong but lacked follow-through, and the price failed to close above the $1,900 zone. If ETH loses the $1,700 pivot, the next major support sits around $1,500K, which acted as the base of the prior reversal.

The 4-Hour Chart

The local structure has evolved into an ascending channel, with price currently dropping toward its lower boundary after failing to break the $1,800 resistance zone.

The rejection from the upper bound of the channel and the false breakout above resistance triggered a sharp pullback, suggesting buyer exhaustion. Now, ETH is retesting previous demand around $1,740, and if that breaks, a rapid decline toward the $1,500 level could be expected.

Sentiment Analysis

Funding rates remain mostly neutral, with a slight positive bias across exchanges. This reflects a lack of aggressive long exposure, which is healthy for future rallies but doesn’t signal immediate bullish conviction.

Open interest has picked up slightly over the last few days, suggesting renewed participation, but it’s still far from euphoric levels. As long as open interest builds while price compresses, there’s a higher risk of a liquidation event unless buyers step in with force.

On the other hand, ETH’s current funding rate structure suggests that most participants are still waiting on the sidelines. The absence of heavily skewed long or short positioning indicates the market is in balance, but vulnerable to rapid sentiment shifts.

If the asset continues to hover under resistance, aggressive traders may begin fading long setups, leading to downward pressure. However, any sudden upside breakout above the $1,900 area could catch the market off guard, triggering a wave of short covering. Until then, sentiment remains cautiously neutral with a slight bearish tilt in the short term.

[PRESS RELEASE – Tortola, British Virgin Islands,, Singapore, May 6th, 2025]

Academic Labs, a leading on-chain knowledge sharing platform, has announced its token (AAX) will list on MEXC exchange on May 7th at 9:00 UTC, marking another significant milestone in its expansion strategy.

Recent Developments

The project recently unveiled two major initiatives: the upcoming Academic Labs AI Agents and the Global Knowledge Chain ecosystem. These announcements have generated substantial discussion across Web3 communities regarding the utility and potential of the AAX token.

The Global Knowledge Chain ecosystem extends beyond Academic Labs’ existing platforms (Wealth X Academy, AAX World, and gamified learning tools) to include upcoming releases such as DeFi trading bots and information markets powered by AAX tokens.

According to the project, AAX aims to tokenize information value. For example, in the context of DeFi, enabling users to purchase access to specialized trading data, such as insider wallet activities, sniper bot detetcion, and KOL behavior analysis not available on other platforms.

Moreover, the integration of the Global Knowledge Chain with the AAX learner ID will enable cross-platform functionality, supporting the development of Academic Labs AI Agents designed to enhance individual learning and information acquisition capabilities.

Strategic Roadmap

Earlier this year, Academic Labs launched its staking program and platform v3.0 updates. The project’s roadmap for H2 2025 outlines additional exchange listings, the AI Agents launch, and new platforms built on the Global Knowledge Chain ecosystem.

Market Impact

MEXC, a global cryptocurrency exchange with over 36 million users, marks the largest exchange collaboration to date for Academic Labs.

Previous listings have correlated with positive price action—the Bitpanda listing saw AAX achieve a 5x return from its all-time low, while the Gate.io debut drove a 15x increase from opening price.

The MEXC announcement has already generated significant interest within the crypto community and is expected to drive further price appreciation in the coming months. Combined with growing excitement surrounding the Academic Labs ecosystem, AAX staking, and airdrops, analysts anticipate potential long-term growth for the token as it continues to establish itself as a measure of information value in today’s digital economy.

The AAX token is currently tradable on Gate.io and Bitpanda, with the MEXC listing poised to expand access to 36 million additional users when trading commences.

About Academic Labs

Academic Labs is building the 1st Universal Database of Knowledge that empowers decentralized autonomous learning for AI agents that assist users in acquiring skills and knowledge, fostering consensus-based intelligence for all of human society. Through gamification, DAOs, and data interoperability, we offer a limitless, transparent, and personalized channel for sharing and learning various skills.

More About Academic Labs

Website: https://acad.live

Twitter: https://x.com/Acad_Labs

CoinMarketCap: https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/academic-labs/

Trade Academic Labs ($AAX):

https://www.gate.io/trade/AAX_USDT

https://www.mexc.co/en-IN/exchange/AAX_USDT