Bitcoin surges past $87,000 as crypto rally lifts XRP

Veteran trader Peter Brandt has set a bullish target for XRP ↘ 0.55%, projecting the token could climb to $5.40 as a broad crypto market rally sent Bitcoin ↘ 0.29% surging past $87,000 on Sunday to its highest level since January.x+1

In a post on X, Brandt shared a long-term chart suggesting XRP could breach the psychological $5 level by next year, according to CoinGape. The call arrives as the broader crypto market experienced its strongest weekend rally in months, with Bitcoin climbing more than 7% to briefly touch $87,000 before pulling back, driven by positive ETF flows and a spillover from a Wall Street rally.straitstimes+2

XRP Rides the Wave but Faces Resistance

XRP climbed above $1.50 on September 22, posting gains of more than 8% over three days as trading volumes jumped 55%. Short liquidations across the crypto futures market spiked to $665 million, suggesting a broad short squeeze was underway.fxempire

Crypto analyst Ali Martinez noted that whales had accumulated more than $2 billion worth of XRP in recent days, with that buying pressure now appearing in the price. He identified $1.60 as the next key level, where roughly 2.5 billion XRP previously changed hands.coingape

However, analysts flagged headwinds that could cap further gains. TradingKey noted that XRP faces accumulated selling pressure near the $1.70 resistance level and that net capital inflows for XRP spot ETFs stood at zero on the day, even as Bitcoin ETFs saw over $600 million in inflows and Ethereum ↘ 0.35% ETFs drew $150 million.tradingkey

Broader Catalysts and Lingering Doubts

The rally unfolded against a backdrop of easing macroeconomic headwinds, including a pullback in crude oil prices and post-FOMC clarity. Ripple has also continued to expand its ecosystem, releasing a developer kit for AI-powered payment agents integrated with the XRP Ledger and its stablecoin RLUSD, with Stripe serving as supporting infrastructure. An upcoming Batch V1.1 upgrade to the XRP Ledger, designed to improve institutional cross-border payment efficiency, has added to the optimism.tradingkey+1

Not all forecasters share Brandt's enthusiasm. A Perplexity AI analysis projected a more conservative target of $3.25 by January 2027, noting that XRP would first need to clear a congestion zone between $1.70 and $2.00 before any sustained move higher could take hold. FXEmpire analyst Alejandro Arrieche identified a nearer-term target of $2.10 based on a bull flag breakout pattern, but cautioned that XRP remains confined within its broader consolidation range.fxempire+1