XRP (XRP) witnessed a brief breakdown over the weekend but is holding strong in the face of a persistent oil crisis led by the US–Iran war.
As of Monday, March 9, the XRP/USD pair was up by over 1% to $1.36, still around the level we reported in our Friday report. That contrasts with how risk-on markets have performed so far, with Asian, European, and US stock markets in the red.
Gold is retreating. The US dollar is outperforming, indicating that traders view it as a haven amid the ongoing geopolitical crisis. Cryptocurrencies like XRP, which act as risk assets, are just not the market’s main transmission channel for the shock.
Let’s expand these XRP news stories further below.
Brent and WTI ripped above $100 as the Iran war morphed from a regional conflict into a full-blown energy-supply scare.
Brent surged roughly 27% to $117.65, and WTI climbed 28.3% to $116.62, with both briefly testing the $120 area.
The panic is centered on the Strait of Hormuz, which handles about one-fifth of global oil flows, while fresh production cuts from Iraq, Kuwait, and Qatar added to fears that the Gulf supply chain is starting to seize up.
According to the Financial Times, G7 finance ministers are preparing to discuss a possible joint petroleum reserve release co-ordinated by the International Energy Agency.
Such a move would be aimed at calming markets and easing immediate supply fears if the Iran war continues to threaten crude flows through key export routes.
The discussion itself shows how seriously policymakers are treating the latest oil spike.
For crypto traders, oil has become the main macro variable, because a sustained rise in energy prices can quickly feed into inflation, reduce the chances of near-term rate cuts, and worsen the pressure on XRP and other cryptocurrencies.
The market is looking ahead to this week’s key US inflation readings, starting with the February Consumer Price Index report on Wednesday, March 11.
XRP trading activity on Binance has cooled, with the token’s 30-day Volume Z-Score falling to around -1.16, indicating that current volume is running below its recent average.
Latest data shows daily XRP volume at roughly 27 million tokens while the price holds near $1.35, suggesting a quieter market environment compared with earlier periods of stronger speculative activity.
Historically, higher Z-Score readings have aligned with sharp rallies, sell-offs, and broader volatility spikes.
The current negative reading points to softer momentum and weaker liquidity, signaling that traders may be stepping back or holding positions instead of aggressively chasing moves.
That does not automatically imply a bearish breakdown, but it does suggest XRP’s current price action lacks strong participation.
XRP’s long-term holders have been accumulating since December 2025, even as the token continued trending lower, underscoring a growing divergence between holder behavior and spot price.
Glassnode’s Hodler Net Position Change data shows a sustained return of positive net accumulation through late December, January, and into March, while XRP fell toward $1.35 from $2.35.
That pattern suggests larger or more patient holders have been buying into weakness rather than distributing into the downtrend. While this does not confirm a market bottom on its own, it does indicate that conviction among long-term XRP investors has been rebuilding despite persistent price pressure in the broader market.
Yashu Gola is a crypto journalist and analyst with expertise in digital assets, blockchain, and macroeconomics. He provides in-depth market analysis, technical chart patterns, and insights on global economic impacts. His work bridges traditional finance and crypto, offering actionable advice and educational content. Passionate about blockchain's role in finance, he studies behavioral finance to predict memecoin trends.