[DigitalToday reporter Yoonseo Lee (이윤서)] XRP briefly fell to $1.11, hitting its lowest level in 15 months, and some investors are viewing the drop as a chance to buy at lower prices.

On Feb. 7 (local time), blockchain media outlet The Crypto Basic reported that XRP fell 19.6 percent in a day on Feb. 5 during a market-wide plunge, then extended its correction and slid to $1.11. The $1.11 level is a price range seen again about 15 months after the rally in November 2024. XRP later rebounded and regained the $1.4 level, but assessments say it is unclear whether it will rise further.

The scale of the drop is seen as notable even compared with recent years. XRP's decline of about 19.6 percent on Feb. 5 was its biggest one-day fall since May 19, 2021, when it plunged 33.43 percent. It was also larger than the drop during the Terra crisis in May 2022, at 19.19 percent, and the fall during the FTX crisis in November 2022, at 18.43 percent. A fourth-quarter correction that lasted through year-end, with XRP closing the year at $1.84, then rebounding to $2.41 in early January before turning back into a downtrend, was also cited as background to the sharp drop.

Separately from the shock the plunge gave to investor sentiment, some market participants interpret it as a "buy-the-dip" opportunity. Market analytics firm Santiment also said whale investors accumulated XRP during the downturn. The move in which the price rebounded above $1.4 shortly after the plunge is also interpreted as suggesting that some dip-buying demand may have come in.

Some are focusing on whether purchases made during the downturn could later lead to large profits. If XRP is assumed to recover to its previous peak of $3.66, 273,224 XRP would be needed to reach a valuation of $1 million. At the $1.11 level, acquiring that amount would cost about $303,000, and at $1.39 it would require about $379,000, calculations showed.

A comparison by investment size was also presented. For example, based on $50,000, about 16,666 XRP can be bought when XRP is at $3, but as many as about 45,000 can be secured when it drops to $1.11. If XRP trades at $1.39, the amount that can be bought with $50,000 falls to about 35,971 XRP. That means the lower the purchase price during a downturn, the more tokens can be accumulated, but results could vary depending on the pace and scale of any recovery.

Investors are watching XRP's potential for a long-term recovery, but uncertainty over short-term price moves is also growing as highly volatile trading continues.