XRP Just Did Something It Hasn't Done in 8 Years—And Wall Street's Most Bullish Analyst Just Called Bitcoin's Next ATH

Forget Bitcoin. Forget Ethereum. XRP just stole the show.

In just six days, XRP rocketed 30% from $1.78 to $2.40—the best performance of any top-10 crypto. It flipped BNB to reclaim the #4 spot by market cap. Whale wallets are accumulating. ETF inflows hit $1.3 billion with 43 consecutive days of buying (zero outflows). And institutions poured $483 million into XRP in December alone while Bitcoin and Ethereum bled billions.

Meanwhile, Wall Street's most bullish crypto analyst just dropped a bombshell: Tom Lee predicts Bitcoin will hit a new all-time high by the end of January—and he's betting his firm's money on it, buying $88.7 million worth of Ethereum to prove he's serious.

Something's shifting. After weeks of consolidation and fear, the market just woke up. And it's moving fast.

The Numbers: XRP Leading, Bitcoin Following

Current Market Stats (January 6, 2026):

XRP Performance:

+30% in January (just 6 trading days)
Current price: $2.40 (13% gain in 24 hours alone)
Market cap: $140+ billion (flipped BNB, now #4)
Weekly gain: +29%
Best performer in top 10 cryptos

Bitcoin & Major Alts:

Bitcoin: $93,700 (+7% since Jan 1, testing $94K resistance)
Ethereum: $3,224 (+9% since Jan 1)
Solana: +12%
Dogecoin: +17%
Total crypto market cap: $3.01 trillion (+8.2% in 2026)

ETF Inflows (Game-Changing):

XRP ETFs: $1.3B in 50 days (2nd fastest to $1B after Bitcoin)
December XRP inflows: $483M (while BTC lost $1.09B, ETH lost $564M)
Streak: 43 consecutive days of net positive inflows (zero outflows)
Bitcoin ETF inflows (Jan 2): $517M (finally positive again)
Ethereum ETF inflows (Jan 2): $173M

This isn't random price action. This is capital rotating aggressively into crypto—and XRP is leading the charge.

What Changed? The Shift Nobody Saw Coming

5 Reasons Why Crypto Just Exploded:

1. Institutions Stopped Selling

December was brutal. Bitcoin ETFs bled $1.09 billion, Ethereum lost $564 million. Tax-loss harvesting, year-end rebalancing, and general fear dominated.

Then January hit. $682 million flooded into crypto ETFs in the first two days alone. Bitcoin led with $517M, Ethereum added $173M, and XRP continued its relentless 43-day buy streak.

Institutional sentiment flipped from "get me out" to "time to reload."

2. XRP's Regulatory Clarity Play

XRP's rally isn't hype—it's fundamentals finally catching up to price.

What changed:

SEC lawsuit ended: Ripple won, XRP declared not a security
ETF approvals: Multiple spot XRP ETFs launched (Grayscale, Bitwise, 21Shares, Franklin Templeton)
Bank adoption: Ripple's RLUSD stablecoin ($1.33B market cap) integrating with Visa, banks
Institutional inflows: $3.7B in 2025 (500% increase from $600M in 2024)

Translation: The legal cloud lifted. Institutions can finally buy XRP without legal risk. And they're buying aggressively.

3. Tom Lee's Bitcoin Call

Tom Lee—Fundstrat co-founder and Wall Street's most bullish crypto analyst—just went on CNBC and said:

"Bitcoin has not peaked yet. We believe Bitcoin can hit a new all-time high by the end of January."

That's bold. Bitcoin's current ATH is $126,210 (hit in October 2025). Current price: $93,700. That's a 35% move in 25 days.

Is it possible? Lee's track record is mixed on timing, but he nails the trend. He called Bitcoin's 2025 rally months early. He predicted new ATHs before October (which happened). His timing was off, but the direction was right.

And now he's doubling down with his firm's money—BitMine just bought $88.7 million in Ethereum, bringing their total to 4.14 million ETH.

4. Federal Reserve Liquidity Injection

Here's the macro tailwind nobody's talking about: the Federal Reserve just pumped $31 billion into the banking system.

More liquidity = risk assets rally. Bitcoin hit $94,000 shortly after. Ethereum reclaimed $3,200. XRP exploded to $2.40.

This isn't speculation—it's textbook monetary policy impact on asset prices.

5. Fear Evaporated

The Crypto Fear & Greed Index jumped from 31 (fear) to 40 (neutral)—the highest reading since mid-December.

Bitcoin broke out of a month-long consolidation. Ethereum cleared the $3,000 psychological level. XRP shattered resistance. Memecoins pumped 10-25%.

Markets don't move in straight lines, but when fear turns to greed, things accelerate fast.

XRP: The Sleeper That Woke Up

Let's talk about why XRP's move is so significant.

The Setup:

XRP spent most of 2025 stuck between $1.80-$2.20, grinding sideways while Bitcoin and Ethereum grabbed headlines. Legal uncertainty lingered. Retail lost interest. Whales quietly accumulated.

Then December happened:

$483M in ETF inflows (biggest month yet)
Exchange supply dropped 45% (from 3.95B to 2.6B XRP)
Institutional buyers poured in (43 straight days of buying)

The Breakout:

On January 2nd, XRP broke $2.00. Then $2.10. Then $2.20. Today it hit $2.40—a clean 30% move in 6 days.

Technical analysts are calling it a "breakout from a multi-month descending channel." Translation: the setup looks bullish as hell.

The Target:

If XRP holds above $2.20-$2.30, next resistance is $3.00 (psychological level) and then $3.84 (2018 all-time high).

Some analysts are eyeing $4.00-$5.00 by end of 2026 if:

ETF inflows sustain ($250-350M monthly)
RLUSD scales into banking rails
BlackRock files for XRP ETF (rumored but unconfirmed)
Fed cuts rates 3-4 times (lowering opportunity cost)

That's a 2x from current levels—aggressive but not insane given institutional demand.

Tom Lee's Bold Bet: Bitcoin New ATH in January

Let's unpack Tom Lee's call because it's not just talk—he's backing it with real money.

The Prediction:

"Bitcoin can hit a new all-time high by the end of January 2026."

Current Math:

Bitcoin ATH: $126,210 (October 2025)
Current price: $93,700
Gap: $32,510 (35% move required)
Days remaining in January: 25 days

That's a 1.4% daily gain needed to hit ATH. Aggressive? Yes. Impossible? No—Bitcoin's done bigger moves faster.

Why Lee Believes It:

1. "Untapped Market" Thesis

Millions of investors still don't own Bitcoin through brokerage/retirement accounts. As access expands (Bank of America, Vanguard reversing course, more ETFs launching), new capital flows in.

2. Institutional Rebalancing Complete

Q4 2025 was institutions de-risking. Now they're reloading. ETF flows turned positive. Hedge funds are repositioning.

3. Supply Squeeze

Bitcoin ETFs control $120B in assets. MicroStrategy keeps buying. Whales accumulate. Less supply available = price goes up.

4. Ethereum "Supercycle" Coming

Lee's most bullish on Ethereum: "ETH is dramatically undervalued. We believe Ethereum is entering a supercycle similar to Bitcoin's 2017-2021 run."

His firm just bought $88.7M in ETH—that's not a small bet.

The Track Record:

Lee's timing is often early, but his direction is usually right:

2025 ATH prediction: Called it (happened in October), but price faded after
ETH $15K by December 2025: Missed (peaked at $4,830)
S&P 7,700 by end 2026: Most aggressive call on Wall Street

He swings big. Sometimes he misses. But when he's right, he's really right.

The "Two Halves" Prediction

Here's the nuance in Lee's call that most headlines missed:

"2026 is going to be a year of two halves. The first half may be tough as we deal with institutional rebalancing and a 'strategic reset,' but that volatility is exactly what sets the stage for the massive rally we expect in the back half."

Translation:

H1 2026 (Jan-June): Choppy, volatile, institutions adjusting portfolios
H2 2026 (July-Dec): Explosive rally as reset completes

So if Bitcoin doesn't hit new ATH in January, Lee's not wrong—just early (again). The real fireworks might come in Q3/Q4.

What Traders Are Watching Now

Bitcoin: $94K Resistance

BTC is testing $94,000-$95,000 right now. This is where a descending trendline and the 50-day moving average converge.

Break above $95K: Opens door to $100K+ quickly
Rejection at $94K: Could retest $88K-$90K support

Options traders are betting on the breakout—$100K call options volume spiked on Deribit.

Ethereum: Death Cross Still Active

ETH broke above its 50-day EMA for the first time in a month, but the "death cross" (50-day below 200-day MA) remains active since November.

Clear $3,350-$3,400: Opens path to $3,500+
Fail here: Could retest $2,900-$3,000

Tom Lee thinks ETH is "dramatically undervalued" and could 10x from here. That's a $30,000+ target—bold, but he's putting his money where his mouth is.

XRP: Breakout or Fake-Out?

XRP broke its descending channel and reclaimed $2.00, but needs to hold $2.20-$2.35 to confirm the move.

Hold above $2.20: Target $3.00, then $3.84 (ATH)
Fall below $2.00: Could retest $1.80 support

Given the 43-day ETF buy streak and 45% drop in exchange supply, the setup looks bullish.

The Risks Nobody's Talking About

1. Liquidity Is Still Thin

Post-holiday volumes are low. Sharp moves can reverse just as fast. $260M in liquidations happened last week—both longs and shorts got wrecked.

2. Tom Lee's Timing Issue

Lee called Bitcoin $200K by end of 2025—it peaked at $126K and faded. His direction is often right, but timing is off. January ATH might be too aggressive.

3. XRP Concentration Risk

Large holders control huge XRP supplies. If whales sell, price can dump fast. High concentration = high volatility.

4. Macro Risks

Jobs report drops this week. If it's strong, Fed might not cut rates—bad for risk assets. If it's weak, recession fears return—also bad.

5. January Effect Could Fade

Early-year rallies often fizzle by February. This could be tax-loss rebalancing, not sustained demand.

Bottom Line: The Market Just Shifted

After weeks of grinding sideways, something changed.

XRP is up 30% in 6 days. Bitcoin's testing $94K. Ethereum cleared $3,200. Institutions poured $682M into ETFs in two days. Tom Lee's calling for new Bitcoin ATHs. The Fed injected $31 billion in liquidity.

Is this the start of a sustained 2026 bull run? Or a short-term bounce before more chop?

Nobody knows. But when XRP leads the market with a 30% move, institutions flood back in, and Wall Street's biggest bull doubles down—you pay attention.

The market doesn't ring a bell at the bottom. It just starts moving. And right now, it's moving fast.

References

CoinDesk - "Bitcoin price forecast: Here's why BTC, ETH, SOL, XRP, DOGE are seeing a strong 2026" (January 6, 2026)
CoinDesk - "Tom Lee says bitcoin has not peaked, calls for new all-time high by January 2026" (January 5, 2026)
BeInCrypto - "XRP Extends 2026 Rally as Analysts Map Possible Price Scenarios" (January 6, 2026)
24/7 Wall St. - "XRP ETFs Start 2026 With $1.3B: Can Institutional Demand Push Price to $4 by Year-End?" (January 5, 2026)
CoinPedia - "Crypto Market Starts 2026 Strong: Bitcoin and Ethereum Above $90K and $3K; XRP Flips BNB" (January 3, 2026)
TradingView - "Why XRP Price Is Up Today?" (January 6, 2026)
Blockmanity - "Tom Lee's Bullish Bet: Bitcoin Not Peaked Yet – New All-Time High by January 2026?" (January 5, 2026)