A well-known analyst says Ethereum (ETH) is currently the better trade for short-term traders, while Ripple’s XRP offers greater upside for investors willing to hold through the current market cycle.
This assessment comes as both assets have posted double-digit declines across multiple timeframes.
ETH Now, XRP Later
The conversation began after an X user asked analysts CrediBULL Crypto and Bobby A whether they would favor XRP over Ethereum.
CrediBULL replied that he prefers ETH over XRP for shorter-term trading. He added, however, that if the XRP/ETH ratio falls roughly 30% to reach a midrange level, XRP could become the better near-term trade. He also suggested the pair may have already formed a macro bottom and could print a higher low before XRP begins to outperform ETH again.
For investors buying spot and holding through the cycle, CrediBULL believes XRP has “more overall upside potential” from current levels.
On Ethereum specifically, CrediBULL earlier said he was pleased with recent ETH purchases, noting that extreme bearish commentary—such as calls for “$0 ETH”—on his social feed serves as a contrary indicator that the asset may move higher soon.
Fellow analyst Bobby A suggested that the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency may have already bottomed and could trade in a range of roughly $1,550 to $1,650 for several weeks before resuming an upward trend.
CrediBULL added he does not expect ETH to drop below $1,380 and believes that holding current levels on lower timeframes could fuel a move toward $2,500–$2,600 before the next meaningful pullback.
Several XRP-focused analysts are also upbeat about the token’s prospects. ChartNerd argued that legislative developments such as the GENIUS Act and CLARITY Act could strengthen XRP’s utility within the financial system.
EGRAG CRYPTO pointed to a convergence of technical indicators that appear to be forming a major decision point for XRP. He said a breakout above the $1.66–$2.00 range could trigger higher targets, but warned that failing to hold key support levels could push the token lower first.
What the On-Chain Data Shows
Both ETH and XRP have been under pressure. At the time of writing, Ethereum was trading just above $1,600—a roughly 3% decline over 24 hours and a 31% drop over 30 days—leaving it more than 67% below its August 2025 all-time high.
XRP has seen similar weakness and was trading around $1.11 at press time, down about 5% on the day and nearly 24% over the past month.
On-chain metrics show heightened retail fear around Ethereum. Santiment data indicates ETH has entered an “extreme fear zone,” with the ratio of positive-to-negative commentary near one of its lowest levels this year. The firm noted that a comparable sentiment collapse in April last year preceded a threefold price increase for ETH over the following four months, culminating in a new high.
For XRP, Glassnode data shows the 90-day moving average of its realized profit-to-loss ratio is roughly 0.38, implying holders are realizing about 38 cents of profit for every dollar of loss recorded on-chain. That level signals substantial unrealized losses across the investor base and underscores the current capitulation among participants.
In summary, analysts see ETH as the more attractive short-term trade while viewing XRP as having stronger long-term upside if investors are able to hold through the remainder of the cycle. Market sentiment and on-chain indicators for both assets remain cautious, but past precedent suggests these sentiment extremes can precede significant rebounds.