XRP News Today: Bullish Forecasts Clash With Trade War Fears and SEC Uncertainty

SEC vs. Ripple: Agency Files Opposition Motion

A surprise SEC maneuver has reignited the legal battle with Ripple, shaking up XRP market expectations. The SEC vs. Ripple case returned to focus on Tuesday, April 8, as investors awaited a formal withdrawal of the SEC’s appeal against the Programmatic Sales of XRP ruling.

The SEC filed a motion with Judge Analisa Torres opposing Justin W. Keener’s emergency request to present decisive evidence in favor of Ripple. The agency argued that the Court lacks jurisdiction over the request. Additionally, the SEC noted that Keener had not filed the appropriate motion to intervene and that Ripple is capable of determining which evidence supports its case.

These filings are unlikely to immediately impact the SEC’s appeal strategy, Ripple’s cross-appeal plans, or prospects for a settlement. The SEC’s response reaffirmed that the Ripple case now sits with the Second Circuit.

XRP Price Predictions Turn Bullish

Meanwhile, optimism surrounding a potential end to the Ripple case, a potential XRP-spot ETF market, and Ripple’s expansion into the US continue to underpin bullish XRP price predictions. Bloomberg Intelligence Senior ETF Analyst Eric Balchunas shared Standard Chartered’s latest projections:

“Standard Charter is back to making super-bullish crypto-related predictions, says XRP will hit $5.50 by EOY and $12.50 in 3yrs. Curr it’s $1.94. Nature is healing.”

XRP Price Outlook: Legal and ETF Catalysts

On Tuesday, April 8, XRP slid by 5.45%, following Monday’s 1.22% loss to close at $1.7948. XRP faced heavier losses than the broader market, which dropped 3.3% to a total crypto market cap of $2.39 trillion.

Risk aversion stemming from President Trump’s confirmation of upcoming tariff hikes impacted XRP and the broader market.

Several catalysts could influence XRP’s near-term price trends:

• SEC vs. Ripple Court Filings: A withdrawal or settlement could send XRP toward its all-time high of $3.5505.
• XRP-Spot ETF Prospects: Regulatory approval may trigger institutional inflows, while delays could limit upside potential.
• Macroeconomic risks: Heightened US-China trade tensions, persistent US inflation, or hawkish Fed guidance could push XRP toward $1.5 while easing conditions could support a rebound to $3.00.

See our full XRP forecast here.

Bitcoin Drops Below $76k on Tariff Developments

XRP’s decline coincided with bitcoin (BTC) dropping back to $76k amid rising fears of a tariff-induced economic recession. President Trump reaffirmed the roll out of tariffs on April 9, including raising tariffs on Chinese imports to 104%.

BTC and the broader crypto market tracked the Nasdaq Composite Index into negative territory, reflecting a broader risk-off sentiment.

BTC-Spot ETFs Extend Outflow Streak Four Sessions

Tariff developments also weighed on BTC-spot ETF flows. According to Farside Investors, BTC-spot ETF flows for April 8 included:

• Bitwise Bitcoin ETF (BITB) reported net outflows of $21.7 million.
• ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF (ARKB): Net outflows of $19.9 million.

Excluding BlackRock’s (BLK) pending iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) data, total US BTC-spot ETF outflows reached $73.4 million, marking outflows in seven of the past eight sessions.

Market intelligence platform Santiment remarked on market sentiment, stating;

“Based on mid-term timeframes, average trading returns are now unsurprisingly showing ‘Opportunity Zones’ for the majority of altcoins. As tariffs have wreaked havoc on the crypto sector, the Santiment feed MVRV Divergence model shows that assets have racked up heavy enough realized losses to justify dip buys…”

However, Santiment warned that market trends could mirror the early weeks of COVID-19 volatility. Nevertheless, Santiment expects an end to the global trade war to trigger a market rebound, stating:

“If and when a global tariff solution is reached, it would undoubtedly trigger a very rapid cryptocurrency recovery. However, this is currently a very big “if” based on the latest media coverage on what is quickly being referred to as a full-fledged “trade war” between the US and the majority of the world.”

BTC Price Outlook: Bearish and Bullish Scenarios

On April 8, BTC fell 3.64%, reversing Monday’s 1.1% gain to close at $76,283.

BTC scenarios include:

• Bearish Scenario: Rising trade tensions, higher US inflation (April 10), a hawkish Fed stance, extended BTC-spot ETF outflows, or opposition to the Bitcoin Act could drag BTC toward $70,000.
• Bullish Scenario: Lower US inflation, a dovish Fed, a trade war de-escalation, bipartisan crypto support, and sustained ETF inflows could lift BTC toward $109,312.

 

Market Outlook: Themes to Watch

Several key drivers will guide crypto market sentiment in the coming days:

• SEC vs. Ripple case-related updates.
• Tariff developments and retaliations.
• Bitcoin Act-related news.
• US inflation trends and Fed forward guidance (April 10).
• ETF flow trends and investor positioning.

While recent SEC actions may offer short-term reassurance, long-term sentiment remains tied to regulatory clarity and macroeconomic stability. Explore what analysts say is needed for cryptos to reach new highs.