XRP Back At The Edge: Will Breaking $2 Barrier Rewrite Its History?

XRP kicked off January with a massive break above $2 and a rally towards $2.4. However, since then, the cryptocurrency has struggled to keep up bullish momentum. 

Now, attention has turned to a familiar and stubborn technical level, one that has shaped XRP’s history as resistance and support over many years. In a recent post on X, crypto analyst Steph highlighted this level and its significance as a vantage point that correlates with the cryptocurrency’s latest price outlook.

A Resistance Zone Etched In History

Technical analysis of XRP’s price action on the 12-month candlestick timeframe focuses on a price region that has haunted the cryptocurrency since 2017. According to crypto analyst Steph, every major cycle rally has stalled around $2, and this makes it a defining long-term resistance area for the cryptocurrency. 

This pattern is meaningful and not at a random price target. When price consolidates beneath a barrier for years, the pressure that builds can cause a powerful upside move once the barrier finally gives way. According to Steph, a clean, consecutive close above $2 on a yearly timeframe would mean that long-term supply has been exhausted and could open the door to a much larger repricing for XRP. 

This perspective aligns with recent chart behavior. XRP climbed above $2.40 very briefly in early January, but it could not sustain the breakout, retreating toward the mid-$2 area after sellers re-entered the market. Current price readings show the cryptocurrency trading around the high $2 region at $2.09.

XRP 12-Month Price Chart. Source: @Steph_iscrypto On X

What A Breakout Could Mean For The Next Chapter

The challenge for XRP is not whether it can trade above $2, because it already has. The token spent much of the first half of 2025 above this level, and this eventually carried the price to an all-time high at $3.65. 

The issue is that XRP has consistently gravitated back toward the $2 zone over time, turning it into a recurring pivot base for support and resistance. This behavior has caused several breakout attempts to appear as little more than long upper wicks on the 12-month candlestick timeframe, followed by mean reversion.

What matters now is not a brief push through the level, but whether XRP can break above $2 and hold it with a meaningful close on higher timeframes. A sustained close  above $2 would mean that supply at this level is finally being absorbed. That outcome would be an important milestone in XRP’s long-term structure.

However, before that can happen, XRP’s price action still needs to establish strength on mid-timeframes. The important thing will be whether $2 can change from resistance to support in the weeks and months ahead. 

If it breaks above $2 convincingly, then it can create another base at a higher price level. In Steph’s projection, such a structural change could open XRP for an extended move, with upside targets stretching as high as $30.

Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView