Geopolitical tensions following reported US–Israeli strikes on Iran have pushed risk back to the forefront of digital asset markets. In his latest weekly note, CryptoInsightUK founder Will Taylor argues that the shock could arrive amid crowded bearish positioning, creating a setup where XRP may hold up better than Bitcoin and Ethereum if selling pressure fails to intensify.
Market Reaction, Not Headlines
Taylor framed the conflict primarily as a volatility event rather than a directional catalyst. “There could be extreme volatility in the near term,” he wrote in the Week 184 edition of The Weekly Insight, adding that markets sometimes form bottoms “on the onset of bad news.” His emphasis was on the market’s reaction function: if initial downside lacks strong follow-through, fear-driven positioning can unwind rather than cascade.
He cautioned that this is not a claim that war is inherently bullish for crypto, but that price behavior around the news matters more than the headline itself. According to Taylor, Bitcoin’s initial selloff lacked the momentum typically associated with a deeper washout.
Liquidity Levels: Bitcoin, Ethereum, and XRP
On Bitcoin, Taylor highlighted liquidity resting lower around $60,000 and said he would prefer to see that area swept before calling for a durable move higher. He described a similar setup in Ethereum, noting downside liquidity near $1,720 but pointing out that larger pools of low-timeframe liquidity sat above price, leaving room for another dip without implying a structural breakdown.
By contrast, he said XRP had already completed some of the price discovery its larger peers were still awaiting. “XRP had a spike to the upside about ten days ago that Bitcoin and Ethereum did not have. It showed relative strength there,” he wrote. More importantly for his framework, XRP has already moved down into nearby liquidity pools that Bitcoin and Ethereum have yet to test. While not a confirmation of trend change, Taylor argued this positioning could help XRP if selling pressure fades rather than accelerates.
Dominance Gauge and XRP/ETH Pair
Taylor’s broader thesis rests on market structure. He maintains that Bitcoin still carries significant daily liquidity above current levels and can push to new all-time highs, while altcoins outperform during that phase. He pointed to Bitcoin dominance, noting Bollinger Bands at historically tight levels on the weekly and highly compressed on the monthly. A volatility break lower in dominance would typically favor altcoins.
Within that context, he said the XRP/ETH chart “has started a new trend to the upside,” potentially marking the beginning of a larger impulsive move. If Bitcoin advances to new highs, dominance weakens, and XRP continues to outperform Ethereum, Taylor wrote that “XRP could be setting up for an explosive move.”
At press time, XRP traded around $1.34.