Negative sentiment around $XRP has reached its worst level in eight months, according to data from on-chain analytics firm Santiment, yet the firm notes the signal may be more bullish than it
Negative sentiment around $XRP has reached its worst level in eight months, according to data from on-chain analytics firm Santiment, yet the firm notes the signal may be more bullish than it first appears.
Santiment's weighted sentiment metric, which combines social volume with the ratio of positive versus negative commentary, shows XRP is now sitting at its lowest level since October 2025.Price weakness has played a role, but traders have also grown fatigued by the lack of a major catalyst despite years of anticipation surrounding Ripple's legal clarity and institutional adoption narratives.
Social sentiment around XRP has collapsed to its third-most bearish reading in two years, arriving as the broader crypto market remains mired in fear amid geopolitical tensions and macroeconomic uncertainty.Retail investors appear to have turned away from XRP following a 63% price decline over the past nine months from its July 2025 high of $3.60.
Ironically, some of XRP's strongest rebounds have occurred when the crowd became most disinterested. The combination of declining discussion volume and overwhelmingly negative commentary often signals that many traders have already moved on or lowered expectations significantly. Santiment frames this as a classic contrarian setup: when the majority of retail traders harbour doubts about a coin's upward trajectory, the conditions for a surprise rally become increasingly favourable.
History offers concrete examples. Santiment pointed to two prior instances when extreme negative readings were followed by notable upticks, in February and October 2025. In February the firm recorded 0.96 bullish comments per 1.00 bearish, while in October it counted 1.01 bullish per 1.00 bearish. In both cases the token bounced back soon after, with analysts describing the post-February recovery as particularly significant.
One reason behind this pattern is that strong waves of fear often emerge after a large portion of short-term sellers have already exited the market. As such, even though bearish commentary is increasing, selling momentum has faded, which allows prices to recover.
Despite the mood on social media, underlying activity has not collapsed entirely. Beneath the surface, development activity, XRP Ledger usage, tokenization initiatives, and institutional products continue advancing even as social media enthusiasm fades.Spot XRP ETFs have recorded an unprecedented streak of over 20 consecutive days of net inflows, with Grayscale, Bitwise, and 21Shares continuing to see steady accumulation.
As always, sentiment data is a probabilistic input rather than a guarantee. The signal is a probabilistic input, not a deterministic one, and macro conditions along with Bitcoin's directional bias continue to exert outsized influence on XRP price trends.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.
Sources:Santiment: XRP Weighted Sentiment at 8-Month LowsBeInCrypto: XRP Sentiment Hits 3rd Most Bearish Level in 2 YearsCryptoPotato: XRP Sentiment Hits Extreme FUD Levels
