Top investors announce large-scale shorting of XRP

Hedescribedthis move as a confident decision, indicating his expectation that the price will decline in the future. At the time of his statement, XRP was trading around $1.92, down about 2% on the day.

The token had previously dropped to $1.84 and is currently attempting to rebound. Meanwhile, as traders assess its short-term trend, the price remains under pressure.

Mixed Reactions from Crypto Analysts

ChartFu's announcement sparked varied reactions from other market observers. Bitcoin show host Valerioshi expressed surprise at this bearish prediction, noting that he had been considering buying a large amount of XRP.

ChartFu responded that a better entry opportunity might soon arise. For now, however, he remains bearish.

I think a better opportunity will come soon.

— ChartFu Monkey (@ChartFu) December 16, 2025

Meanwhile, analyst Crypto Xanax took a more critical stance. He believes that trading XRP is inherently frustrating and warned people not to buy or trade this cryptocurrency.

Overview of XRP ETF Inflows and Whale Accumulation

Another X user, Rebel, pointed out that the XRP ETF has seen inflows for 20 consecutive days. Although Rebel personally does not like XRP, he also noted that large holders remain bullish on the token and are buying in significant amounts.

The XRP ETF has seen inflows for 20 consecutive days. I personally don't like XRP, but the whales are buying in large quantities.

— REBEL (@rebel_btc)December 16, 2025

According to SoSoValue data, since trading began last November, total inflows into XRP ETFs have reached $1 billion. Specifically, the five XRP ETFs issued by Canary, 21Shares, Grayscale, Bitwise, and Franklin are all currently listed and trading, with total assets under management reaching $1.12 billion.

These ETFs have seen continuous inflows since their launch, with no recorded outflows, fueling hopes that XRP could experience a supply shock that would drive up its price.

XRP ETF inflow data SoSoValue

During the initial buying frenzy, many still believed the outlook for XRP was bullish. However, well-known institutions like ChartFu have stepped outside the ETF narrative and publicly disclosed their bearish views.

"High IQ Crowd Holds XRP"

Interestingly, this bearish report was released just as YoungHoon Kim, who is said to have the highest IQ in the world, turned bullish on XRP. Recently,on Twitter, it was mentioned thatpeople with higher IQs are more likely to hold XRP.

Since first mentioning XRP on December 12, he has repeatedly expressed bullish views, including:predicting XRP could reach$100 within five years.

Meanwhile, not everyone agrees with this view. Trader Peter Brandtrecently referred to XRPperma-bulls as overly optimistic and uninformed. However, XRP supporters counter that this asset attracts investors who focus on infrastructure, payments, liquidity, and regulation rather than hype.