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Crypto analyst Dark Defender projected XRP could reach $1.88 to $2 within two days, citing a chart pattern similar to the one that preceded a 500 percent surge in November 2024. The call comes after XRP rallied from below $1 following a U.S. Treasury announcement to double long-term bond buybacks starting September 9. The same week, President Trump hosted crypto executives including Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse and Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong at the White House. The SEC proposed a new regulatory framework with a safe harbor provision, while CFTC Chair Michael Selig said formal crypto market rules will proceed regardless of the CLARITY Act’s Senate outcome. XRP touched $1.68 before pulling back to $1.48. Community reactions ranged from support to skepticism, with critics arguing that algorithmic trading and structural changes have made historical chart patterns less reliable.
Key Elements

Crypto analyst Dark Defender has set an aggressive short-term target for XRP, projecting the token could climb to between $1.88 and $2 within two days. The call, posted on August 23, hinges on a chart structure he says mirrors the setup that preceded a 500 percent surge in November 2024.
The projection arrives as XRP has staged a sharp recovery from a prolonged slump that kept it trading below $1 through much of the prior week. The catalyst, according to market participants, came from Washington rather than any crypto-native development.
The U.S. Treasury announced plans to at least double its long-term bond buybacks starting September 9, a move that rippled through risk assets. <a href="https://xpertsstudio.com/why-the-bitcoin-rally-looks-like-a-vote-against-the-dollar/” title=”Why the Bitcoin Rally Looks Like a Vote Against the Dollar”>Bitcoin rallied first, but XRP outpaced the benchmark cryptocurrency in subsequent sessions, gaining momentum as broader sentiment shifted.
Note: The buybacks apply to Treasury’s 10-to-20-year and 20-to-30-year nominal coupon securities, with the per-operation cap rising from $2 billion to at least $4 billion, in effect through November 4.
Hours after the Treasury announcement, President Donald Trump hosted a group of crypto industry executives at the White House. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, and representatives from Robinhood were in attendance, alongside SEC Chair Paul Atkins and CFTC Chair Michael Selig. The meeting signaled a continued thawing in the relationship between the administration and the digital asset sector. Also in the room were Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev, Kraken CEO Arjun Sethi, and Intercontinental Exchange CEO Jeff Sprecher. Trump told the group, “We’re focused on creating a clear regulatory framework for pioneers and builders like the people that are here with me so that they can do business with confidence on American soil,” warning that the U.S. risks ceding ground to China and other countries if it fails to embrace digital assets.
During the same week, the SEC proposed a new regulatory framework for crypto that includes two exemption tracks for fundraising and a safe harbor provision. Under the safe harbor, digital tokens could exit securities classification once their underlying blockchains operate independently.
Note: The SEC’s plan creates two exemption tracks — a four-year “startup” track capped at $5 million and a 12-month “fundraising” track with expanded disclosure obligations capped at $75 million — alongside the investment-contract safe harbor, which applies once an issuer completes or permanently ceases the managerial efforts it promised and files a transition report.
CFTC Chair Michael Selig separately stated that the agency will proceed with formal crypto market rules regardless of how the CLARITY Act fares in its September 15 Senate vote. The CLARITY Act is draft legislation designed to provide regulatory certainty for digital asset markets and clarify whether certain tokens should be classified as securities or commodities.
Note: The September 15 vote is a cloture motion requiring 60 votes to overcome a filibuster and open floor debate; as of August 22, prediction markets were pricing roughly a 24.5% chance of the CLARITY Act being signed into law this year, up from 18% a week earlier.
XRP reached $1.68 at the peak of the rally before pulling back to $1.48.
Key Catalysts Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Aug 18 | SEC proposes “Regulation Crypto Assets” offering exemptions |
| Aug 19 | Treasury doubles long-bond buybacks; Trump hosts crypto executives at the White House |
| Aug 23 | Dark Defender posts $1.88–$2 XRP target |
| Aug 25 | XRP peaks at $1.68, pulls back to $1.48 |
| Sept 9 | Expanded Treasury buybacks take effect |
| Sept 15 | Senate cloture vote on the CLARITY Act |
Dark Defender’s forecast drew a mixed response from the community. Some followers voiced support and concern after the analyst said he would stop posting on X, formerly Twitter, until his verified status is restored. Others tagged Elon Musk directly, urging the platform owner to reinstate the blue check mark.
Long-term holders expressed patience. One community member said he has held XRP for three years and remains content to wait. Another predicted the rally could continue at least until the Senate addresses the CLARITY Act, with additional gains possible if the legislation passes.
Skeptics pushed back on the methodology. One argued that applying a 2024 chart pattern ignores structural changes in the market, pointing to the shifting Binance Top Trader ratio and the rise of algorithmic trading as evidence that historical analogies carry less weight now. Another dismissed the forecast outright, suggesting past projections from the analyst had often missed before eventually aligning with price action.
The Chart-Pattern Debate
| Position | Argument |
|---|---|
| Bulls | Current structure mirrors the setup before XRP’s 500% surge in Nov. 2024; implies a move to $1.88–$2 within 48 hours |
| Skeptics (structural) | 2024-era analogies ignore a changed market — shifting Binance Top Trader long/short ratios and the rise of algorithmic trading |
| Skeptics (track record) | Say the analyst’s past calls have often missed before eventually converging with price action |
The divergence underscores a broader debate in crypto markets about whether technical patterns retain predictive power as institutional and algorithmic participation reshapes trading dynamics. For now, XRP traders are watching whether the token can hold above $1.48 and mount another push toward the $1.68 level seen earlier in the rally.
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Source: finance.biggo.com
