Market intelligence firm Santiment reports that fear of missing out (FOMO) among traders of XRP and Ethereum (ETH) has surged to the highest level in five weeks, even as prices struggle to gain sustained upward momentum. XRP's bull-to-bear ratio reached 3.02, meaning more than three positive social media posts for every negative one, while Ethereum posted a ratio of 2.31, placing it in "slight FOMO territory." In contrast, Bitcoin (BTC) showed a much lower ratio of 1.40, indicating relatively neutral sentiment.
Sentiment Diverges Between Bitcoin and Altcoins
According to Santiment's July 13 post on X, the elevated bullishness around XRP and ETH could pose short-term downside risk, as crypto markets often move opposite to the crowd's loud expectations. "When traders get too bullish on XRP or ETH while prices are already dipping, it can create short-term downside risk or at least slow the rebound," the firm noted. Meanwhile, Bitcoin's more balanced sentiment may leave room for a rally, since the crowd has not fully priced in higher prices. Trader Xaif Crypto echoed this view, arguing that BTC's calmer sentiment "means more room to run."
Price Performance and Key Levels
XRP has slipped below the $1.08 resistance level and was trading around $1.07 at the time of writing, down roughly 5% over the past week and nearly 7% over the past month. According to analyst Cryptorphic, the token remains vulnerable as long as it trades beneath $1.08, with further declines possible. Ethereum has held up better, hovering closer to $1,800 than $1,700, with a modest 1% weekly gain and more than 6% over the past 30 days. It briefly topped $1,800 over the weekend before pulling back, though some market watchers see potential for a move toward $2,500. Bitcoin, after rebounding from around $57,700 to $64,000 earlier in July, has dipped slightly and is currently below $63,000. Notably, wallets holding between 10,000 and 100,000 BTC added 11,000 BTC in the last week, suggesting persistent dip demand.
On-Chain and Institutional Signals Tell a Mixed Story
Despite the trader optimism, XRP faces cooling institutional and whale activity. Spot XRP ETFs recorded their first week of net outflows in more than two months, and on-chain data shows a dramatic drop in large transactions: XRP transfers worth over $1 million fell from 70 to just 2 in about a week. Wallet creation on the XRP Ledger has also slowed compared to earlier this year. These factors suggest that while retail sentiment is bullish, larger players are pulling back, potentially creating a disconnect between market enthusiasm and underlying momentum.