[DigitalToday reporter Yoonseo Lee (이윤서)] XRP fell 72.96 percent from its all-time high in July 2025 and briefly slid below $1 overnight.

On Aug. 12 (local time), blockchain media outlet The Crypto Basic reported that XRP dropped as low as $0.9916, falling below $1 for the first time since 2024.

XRP later recovered partly to around $1, but the market was split over how to read the move. The key question was whether the plunge marks the start of further losses or signals entry into a bottom zone before a longer-term rebound.

Cryptocurrency analyst Ali Martinez said the correction since last year has pushed XRP into a deeply oversold area and that new technical buy signals are beginning to appear. He pointed to a buy signal from the Tom DeMark Sequential on the monthly chart. The indicator has also signalled ahead of major turning points for XRP in the past.

After a buy signal in April 2020, XRP rose 1,074 percent, and after a signal in August 2022 it gained 973 percent. By contrast, a sell signal in April 2025 was followed by a 57 percent drop. Martinez said the latest signal could suggest a shift from a bearish market to a bull market.

Analyst Chartnerd focused on longer-term price structure. He said an uptrend support line that has held for 6 years remains intact and that the current correction is pulling XRP into a historically important reversal zone. He specifically mentioned the possibility of a third retest in the $0.70 to $0.90 range.

Chartnerd also said the current correction resembles past declines of 70 to 90 percent that appeared before major bull runs. Citing instances where XRP rebounded by 10 times, 2.3 times and 6.9 times after major corrections, he said it could climb as high as $11 if a rebound move emerges again.

Crypto Rover, by contrast, viewed XRP's drop out of the $1 range negatively. He wrote on X, formerly Twitter, "Condolences to XRP holders," showing a bearish view. Cryptocurrency YouTuber Moon Lambo countered that XRP endured a period when it collapsed from around $3.30 to the $0.10 range and also withstood a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission lawsuit against Ripple. He argued that XRP is in a bottom-forming phase and that the worst may already be over.

Investors' near-term focus is $1.06. Martinez presented that level as a key resistance zone. He said the level could take on greater significance if the monthly close forms above $1.06, given on-chain data showing about 3 billion XRP changed hands around that price.

If XRP moves stably above $1.06, the next target zone mentioned is $1.35, followed by $1.64. Still, with bearish and bottoming views locked in a tight contest even after the break below $1, the focus for now is likely to be whether actual price action is confirmed at major support and resistance levels rather than a short-term bounce.