XRP surges 4% as March options attract heavy call interest
Traders expect XRP’s price to go higher, leading to more than a 4% increase as many are buying options that profit if the price stays above a certain level in March.
XRP ( XRP ) climbed 4% to $2.41 on Friday, March 21, as options traders focused on in-the-money calls, leading open interest. According to data from Deribit, options traders “are piling into the March 28 expiry, where ITM calls are leading open interest.”
$XRP is holding steady at $2.48, up 6.38% today. Options traders are piling into the March 28 expiry, where ITM calls are leading open interest. With the SEC out of the picture now, what do you think is next for XRP? pic.twitter.com/8x1cpv33vx
The rally followed Ripple chief executive Brad Garlinghouse’s announcement that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission would drop its appeal in the long-running lawsuit against the company. In an X post , Garlinghouse said that the SEC’s decision to drop its lawsuit appeal marks a turning point for XRP, noting though that the commission still had to vote on the matter, leaving some uncertainty.
The legal battle had weighed on XRP since 2020, with many exchanges delisting the token. Now, traders appear to be betting on further upside. Despite the initial surge, some caution remains. As crypto.news reported earlier, analysts point to key support at $2.2653, with a break below potentially signaling a trend reversal. However, technical indicators suggest further gains are possible.
Market sentiment also shows mixed signals. Data from Coinglass indicates that the long/short ratio for XRP exceeds 1 on most derivatives exchanges, suggesting bullish positioning. But funding rates have turned negative, often a bearish sign.
Earlier, Garlinghouse hinted at more developments ahead, mentioning the possibility of an XRP ETF by late 2025. In an interview with Bloomberg, Garlinghouse said that an XRP spot ETF approval is likely by the second half of 2025.
Bitcoin Facing An Unprecedented Crisis According To Glassnode
The euphoria of the February peaks has evaporated. Bitcoin, after having brushed against 109,000 dollars, is now fluctuating around 82,000 dollars, revealing a reality more complex than it seems. According to the latest report from Glassnode, authored by researchers Cryptovizart and Ukuria OC, the market is facing an unprecedented liquidity crisis, coupled with a growing divide among investors. A contrasting picture that raises questions: is Bitcoin at a critical turning point or simply in a phase of consolidation?
Bitcoin is going through a period of financial drought. The Realized Cap, a key indicator measuring the capital actually invested, is only increasing by 0.67% per month.
This stagnation betrays the absence of fresh capital flows, essential for supporting prices. On-chain trades and derivative markets reflect this asphyxiation: inflows onto platforms have dropped by 54% since the end of February, while the “Hot Supply” — those bitcoins held for less than a week, a symbol of frantic speculation — has halved to barely 2.8% of the circulating supply.
The open interest on futures contracts has decreased by 35%, a sign of a retreat from hedging and arbitrage strategies.
Institutions, in particular, are unwinding their “cash and carry” positions — combining spot ETFs and shorts on futures contracts — causing massive closures (378 million dollars on the CME) and outflows from ETFs. “The unwinding of these trades intensifies the pressure on prices,” emphasizes Glassnode .
The options tell the same story: put premiums are rising, while the Delta Skew (25) confirms that bearish protections are favored by investors. Institutional traders, in particular, seem to be barricading themselves, anticipating persistent volatility.
The current correction in Bitcoin is widening a gap between two categories of actors. Short-term holders (STH), caught in the turmoil, see their unrealized losses reaching cyclical record levels: 7 billion dollars since February.
An alarming figure, but still lower than that of the capitulations of 2021-2022. “These investors are under intense psychological pressure, oscillating between hope and panic,” analyze Cryptovizart and Ukuria OC.
On the opposite side, long-term holders (LTH) are biding their time. Their selling activity is slowing, even if some have seized the opportunity to secure profits around 80,000 dollars.
“Their partial withdrawal from the market reflects a defensive strategy, but not a flight,” the report specifies. With 40% of Bitcoin’s total wealth in their hands, LTH are sitting on a sword of Damocles: a massive sell-off could flood the market.
This duality sketches a paradoxical landscape. On one side, STH, mired in historical losses, embody the fragility of the retail market. On the other side, LTH, silent guardians, seem to be returning to a logic of patient accumulation. “Their relative inertia acts as a stabilizer, limiting panic sales,” notes Glassnode.
Bitcoin is navigating in a gray area, torn between institutional caution and the distress of small holders. The stagnant liquidity and high volatility could persist as long as incoming flows remain timid. However, there remains a glimmer of hope: if institutional ETFs manage to offset outflows, the network could regain balance.
Tesla Stock Goes On-Chain for 24/7 Trading on Injective
The stock market and the crypto space are becoming more interconnected. Just posted on its mainnet, Injective announced that Tesla (TSLA) stock is now accessible for on-chain trading. Previously exclusively available on the Solstice testnet, this feature is now available on the mainnet of Injective, therefore enabling complete Tesla stock trading capability.
For investors who wish to trade stocks in a decentralized way free from traditional trading hours, this decision creates new opportunities. Wait no more for the market to close in the afternoon or open in the morning. Using Injective’s blockchain technology, one has more flexible, open, 24/7 access to Tesla stock.
$TSLA is now live on Injective.
You saw it on the Solstice testnet, now experience Tesla on mainnet for the first time.
Fully onchain stocks with 24/7 access and endless opportunities. Only possible on Injective. https://t.co/wpEnUmElUj
— Injective 🥷 (@injective) March 18, 2025
Tesla is not the first stock to enter the Injective ecosystem. On March 14, as we previously reported , Injective launched a new iAsset enabling on-chain trading of Robinhood (HOOD) stock. Users of this feature can trade Robinhood stock at any moment with more liquidity than on traditional stock markets.
These benefits make Injective even more appealing to investors seeking new approaches to trading financial products.
Furthermore, Injective provides a governance proposal aiming at including McDonald’s stock perpetual contracts into the dApps ecosystem of her network. By means of its governance approach, the platform seeks to include McDonald’s shares in the on-chain environment, therefore extending the scope of the decentralized financial market.
Moreover, on February 10, Injective started an on-chain index tracking hundreds of the biggest public stocks via a single unified index. Investors with this index get unrestricted access to the stock market without having to pass middlemen that may slow down the transaction process.
Big corporations are helping the injective ecosystem to get stronger. Officially joining as a validator on the Injective blockchain was Deutsche Telekom MMS, a division of Deutsche Telekom. This move is a genuine attempt to improve the security and decentralization of the network as well as a mere name addition.
Through on-chain governance and transaction validation, Injective shows even more how blockchain technology may coexist peacefully with traditional financial institutions.
On the other hand, on March 4, Injective partnered with Libre, a digital infrastructure platform granting access to accredited and institutional investors.
By means of this integration, Injective gains the institutional fund issuing and distribution platform, thereby enabling big investors to access a range of on-chain investment funds, including the just announced BlackRock Money Market Fund. Stated differently, injective attracts not only retail traders but also heavyweight investors more and more.
Meanwhile, as of the writing time, INJ is swapped hands at about $9.94, up 3.25% over the last 24 hours and 6.09% over the last 7 days.