XRP price is trading around $1.38–$1.40 after dipping roughly 1%–1.5% today, which extends a period of relatively quiet trading following its powerful August rally. The lack of immediate upside may be frustrating bulls, but the technical structure hasn’t produced a decisive breakdown yet.
Two analysts are now watching closely for a breakout. Bird believes XRP remains inside a bull flag that favors continuation higher as long as its channel survives. Ali Martinez, meanwhile, has identified an even shorter-term trigger: an hourly close above $1.40, which he believes could send XRP toward $1.46.
Together, the charts put XRP in an interesting position. Price is sitting near the middle of a broader consolidation while getting increasingly close to levels that could determine its next move.
What you'll learn 👉
XRP Bull Flag Remains Intact
Bird’s four-hour chart begins with the explosive rally that carried XRP from around $1 in mid-August to as high as $1.70.
Rather than continuing vertically higher, XRP subsequently entered a downward-sloping channel. The chart shows both the upper and lower boundaries falling gradually, with price repeatedly moving between them.
Bird interprets that structure as a bull flag.
That interpretation matters because bull flags typically form after a strong upward impulse. The initial rally represents the flagpole, while the downward or sideways consolidation allows the market to digest those gains before another potential attempt higher.
In XRP’s case, the flagpole is obvious. Price surged from approximately $1 to $1.70 in only a few days before entering the current channel.
What has happened since is equally important.
Despite multiple selloffs, XRP hasn’t decisively broken beneath the lower boundary of Bird’s channel. Price fell toward approximately $1.31–$1.33 in early September before rebounding strongly toward $1.47.
That recovery demonstrated that buyers were still willing to step in near the bottom of the structure.
XRP has since returned toward $1.40, leaving it roughly in the middle of the channel.
Read also: 3 AI Giants Predict XRP Price at the Peak of the Next Bull Run
What Would Confirm the XRP Bull Flag Breakout?
The most important part of Bird’s chart is the upper boundary.
At the current point in the pattern, that descending resistance appears to sit around $1.43–$1.45. XRP recently tested approximately $1.46–$1.48 but couldn’t establish itself above the channel.
That means the bullish breakout hasn’t been confirmed yet.
A convincing move above roughly $1.44–$1.45 would take XRP through the upper boundary and provide stronger evidence that the consolidation is ending.
The chart then leaves the recent $1.47–$1.50 region as an immediate obstacle. Beyond that, the August price action shows another important area around $1.55–$1.60.
The other side of the setup matters just as much.
XRP BREAKOUT WATCH$XRP appears to be forming a descending triangle on the hourly chart.
— Ali Charts (@alicharts) September 8, 2026
I'm watching for an hourly close above $1.40. If confirmed, the breakout could trigger a rally toward $1.46. pic.twitter.com/K1RNqYkPnM
The lower boundary of Bird’s channel is currently around $1.27–$1.30 and continues declining. XRP therefore has room to move lower while technically remaining inside the structure.
That’s what Bird means when he says traders shouldn’t necessarily become concerned simply because XRP moves lower within the channel.
However, a decisive breakdown beneath the lower boundary would be different. At that point, calling the structure an intact bull flag would become considerably harder to defend.
Ali Martinez Watches $1.40 for a Faster Breakout
Ali Martinez is looking at a much shorter timeframe.
According to Martinez, the XRP price appears to be forming a descending triangle on the hourly chart, and he is watching for an hourly close above $1.40.
If that happens, his target is approximately $1.46. His analysis has also been reported alongside XRP trading near $1.39 today.
This creates an interesting sequence when combined with Bird’s four-hour chart.
$1.40 is the first trigger.
If XRP closes above it and Martinez’s setup plays out, price could move toward $1.46.
But approximately $1.43–$1.46 is also where Bird’s larger bull-flag resistance becomes increasingly important.
In other words, Martinez’s $1.46 target could take XRP directly into the area where a more meaningful four-hour breakout would need to occur.
That makes the next few levels relatively straightforward.
XRP first needs to reclaim $1.40 convincingly. It then needs to attack approximately $1.43–$1.46. If buyers can push through that entire region, the larger bull-flag thesis becomes much more interesting.
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