[Digital Today reporter Jinju Hong] XRP continues to trade near a major technical turning point, raising the possibility it could climb to the $9 area over the longer term.

The Crypto Basic, a blockchain outlet, reported on Jan. 20 that XRP is trading at about $1.96. After more than a year of range-bound moves, it has held steady in the $1.9 to $2 band. It has also shown relative strength even as the broader crypto market has been weak in 2025.

The market sees XRP next trying to reclaim $3. In particular, $3.09, last reached in early October 2025, is seen as a key resistance level. If it breaks above that zone and turns it into support, analysis suggests the long-term target could extend into the $9 range.

The outlook was presented in a long-term chart analysis recently released by market analyst Matt Hughes (맷 휴즈), also known as The Great Mattsby. Hughes said XRP has moved sideways in the $1.9 to $2 range for more than a year and defended that zone even as other altcoins plunged. That is seen as closer to an accumulation phase than distribution.

Historically, XRP has repeatedly staged sharp breakouts after spending long periods at low prices. After remaining below $1 for an extended period from 2014 to 2016, it surged after breaking above about $0.005 in 2017. In early 2018, it rose to about $3.3 to set a record high. It then plunged and entered a prolonged downtrend.

From 2018 to 2020, XRP consolidated in the $0.20 to $0.50 range, with volatility falling sharply. It rebounded once to $1.96 in 2021, but the uptrend did not last long. After that, a strong rebound emerged following the U.S. presidential election in November 2024. XRP jumped from $0.5 to $3.3 and successfully retested the 2018 peak. Prices later moved back into a correction, but held the $1.9 to $2 range through 2025, showing structural stability.

Hughes identified $3.09882, corresponding to the 2.272 Fibonacci extension, as XRP's key pivot level. XRP reached that level in early October 2025. He said a clear break above it and a shift into support would likely move the price structure from an accumulation stage into an expansion phase.

A long-term target of $9.00194, the 2.618 Fibonacci extension, was presented. It was described not as simple optimism but as a figure based on price action repeated in past cycles and a long-term extension framework.

Analysts see XRP at a key phase in deciding direction at a major pivot zone, and say whether it reclaims $3 will be a key variable separating the medium- and long-term trend.