XRP short bets hit a 1-month high as recession fears loom 
Cryptocurrency Apr 30, 2025 Share
Summary
⚈ XRP short positions hit a 1-month high amid rising recession concerns and bearish sentiment.
⚈ U.S. GDP shrank 0.3% in Q1 2025, missing expectations and fueling market fears.
⚈ Token unlock and ETF delay add to XRP’s downward pressure and investor uncertainty.
The ratio of long and short XRP futures positions has reached a 1-month low of 0.8622 on April 30, according to the latest data retrieved by Finbold from crypto intelligence platform CoinGlass.
In other words, XRP shorts are at a 1-month high, with 53.7% of positions opened within the last 24 hours being short sales.
XRP long-short ratio chart. Source: CoinGlass
Moreover, the increase in bearish bets is not a reaction to an overextended move to the upside. On the contrary, XRP has marked a 5.30% decline in price over the past 24 hours, and was last trading at $2.16 at press time on April 30.
XRP price 1-day chart. Source: Finbold
XRP shorts surge following GDP miss, token unlock, and ETF delay
Multiple factors impacting the outlook of derivatives traders are at play.
First and foremost are market-wide dynamics. The gross domestic product (GDP) of the United States contracted by 0.3% in the first quarter of 2025 — marking the first such decline since Q2 2022.
To make matters worse, consensus estimates were pegged at a GDP growth of 0.3% — so the rate of underperformance is quite substantial. Two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth are the rule of thumb for determining when an economy enters a recession.
In addition, XRP is expected to face a significant shift in supply and demand dynamics, as 1 billion tokens is set to be unlocked on May 1, potentially increasing sell pressure.
Finally, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has postponed its decision on a spot XRP exchange-traded fund (ETF) approval, in a move that will serve to further delay the cryptocurrency’s adoption by institutional investors.
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