XRP Buyer Stuck in Red After Nearly Nine Years
Key Summary
A hypothetical XRP buyer who invested at the January 2018 peak remains down 65% nine years later, with two conflicting price records disagreeing on whether they ever broke even. The buyer's investment is worth $28,500, but they face another cost: the time itself, with lost opportunity costs adding to their loss.
Background Context
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Two conflicting price records disagree on whether XRP's 2018 peak was $3.84 or $3.40, changing whether the buyer ever broke even at all.
Cryptocurrency A Holder Who Bought XRP at the January 2018 Top Has Waited Almost Nine Years to Get Even. By One Count, It Still Has Not Happened.
Buying XRP at the wrong moment in January 2018 turned into one of crypto's most punishing waiting games, and nearly nine years later, two competing price records cannot even agree on whether that buyer ever got relief. ⧉ Quick Read An XRP buyer who purchased at the January 2018 peak remains down 65% nine years later, needing a 189% rally just to break even. Two conflicting price records disagree on whether XRP's 2018 peak was $3.84 or $3.40, changing whether the buyer ever broke even at all. A dollar-cost averager investing $100 monthly since January 2018 turned $10,600 into roughly $28,500, averaging just $0.49 per coin. It sounds nuts, but SoFi is giving new Active Invest users up to $3,000 in stock for a limited time, and all it takes is a $50 deposit to get started. See for yourself (Sponsor) This post may contain links from our sponsors and affiliates, and Flywheel Publishing may receive compensation for actions taken through them. Since XRP (CRYPTO:XRP) hit its January 2018 peak, a buyer who invested at the top has waited nearly nine years to break even. This hypothetical buyer illustrates how timing can affect a single investment. As of October 14, 2026, XRP trades at $1.33, 63.6% below its all-time high of $3.65 set in July 2025. However, determining whether this buyer has broken even is complicated. One price history shows the January 2018 peak at $3.84, suggesting the buyer has been at a loss since the purchase. Another source says the peak was around $3.40 and notes that XRP reclaimed this level in July 2025, reaching $3.65 before falling again. So, after nearly nine years, has the January 2018 buyer ever broken even? Crypto trades on multiple exchanges, and each source builds its price data from the exchanges it monitors. Consequently, price spikes on one exchange might not appear on another, leading to discrepancies in what constitutes an all-time high. The chosen record significantly impacts the buyer’s situation. According to the $3.84 record, the buyer remains in the red, meaning their investment is worth less than what they paid. However, under the record showing a peak of around $3.40, the investor briefly broke even in July 2025 before the price fell again. Additionally, XRP closed at $1.13 at the end of January 2018, far below that month’s peak price. Since only a few traders paid near the peak for a short time, comparisons based on monthly closing prices do not accurately reflect what most top buyers actually spent. Following 2018, XRP lost most of its gains from the price surge. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s legal case against Ripple concerning XRP’s status hindered investor interest and limited market access for years until it concluded in August 2025. U.S. funds were cleared to hold XRP later that same year, and while the price recovered in 2025, it has since declined again. As of October 14, the top buyer remains at a loss. At $1.33, XRP is trading 65.4% below the $3.84 peak and about 61% below the $3.40 peak. Additionally, the buyer faces another cost—the time itself. Opportunity cost- the earnings the money could have generated elsewhere- adds to this loss. Funds tied up in a losing investment since January 2018 have missed out on potential growth, and even if the price rises again, those lost years cannot be reclaimed.
Let’s consider a second hypothetical buyer who invested $100 in XRP at the end of each month starting from January 2018. By the 106th purchase on October 14, this buyer has invested a total of $10,600, now worth about $28,500 at $1.33. However, this buyer was not always in the black. XRP dropped below $0.50 within six months after the first purchase, and throughout much of 2018 to 2020, the investment was worth less than the total amount paid. Nonetheless, spreading the investments across multiple months allowed the buyer to buy more coins when prices were low and fewer when prices were high. Most of this buyer’s funds were invested while XRP traded much lower than its 2018 peak, bringing the average cost to around $0.49 per coin. Thus, despite both investors experiencing periods of loss, the dollar-cost averager was able to buy more coins and benefit from lower prices.
Most of this buyer’s funds were invested while XRP traded much lower than its 2018 peak, bringing the average cost to around $0.49 per coin. Despite both investors experiencing periods of loss, the dollar-cost averager was able to buy more coins and benefit from lower prices.
Conclusion
The XRP buyer remains stuck in the red after nearly nine years, with two conflicting price records disagreeing on whether they ever broke even. The buyer's investment is worth $28,500, but they face another cost: the time itself, with lost opportunity costs adding to their loss.