Morning Crypto Report: XRP to Dethrone Ethereum in 2026? Dogecoin Prints Abnormal $0 as Bears Disappear, Cardano Sees 157.6% Spike in ‘New ADA’ Trading

Wednesday’s crypto session just started, and the damage is already visible across the charts. Bitcoin trades near $86,600 after failing again above $90,000, Ethereum sits below $2,930 with a heavy weekly drop and XRP is weak under $2 after weeks of selling pressure. The mood is cautious as extreme fear reigns over the crypto.

Liquidation data backs that up. Over the past 24 hours, total liquidations passed $205 million, with long positions taking most of the hit. More than $104 million in longs were wiped out, compared with about $101 million in shorts. Short-term data shows the same pattern. One-hour liquidations came close to $7 million, almost all from longs.

Is it panic-selling or crowded positioning being cleared?

TL;DR

• XRP gets a crazy 2026 prediction versus Ethereum.
• Dogecoin shows a strange $0 liquidation signal pointing to seller exhaustion.
• Cardano’s “new ADA” token posts a 157.6% jump in trading activity.

XRP to surpass Ethereum by 2026: Big claim hits weak chart

The loudest claim of the day comes fromYoungHoon Kim, known for claiming the highest IQ in the world. According to his new post, XRP could surpass the market cap of ETH by 2026.

Looking at the current numbers, Ethereum is ahead by about $237.5 billion in total valuation. To flip it by market cap under current supply conditions, XRP would need to add that difference on top of its existing valuation, so that would place the token near $352-360 billion in market cap.

With XRP trading near $1.90, this implies a required price increase of about 310% from current levels, assuming circulating supply stays unchanged. In simple terms, XRP would need to trade in the $5.80-$6 range to sit at Ethereum’s current size.

This math also cuts both ways. If Ethereum’s market cap contracts while XRP expands, the required XRP price drops meaningfully. For example:

• If ETH falls to $300 billion, XRP needs to be closer to $4.90-$5.10.
• If ETH holds flat and XRP grows alone, the burden stays near $6.

This prediction, however, lands at an awkward time. XRP is not leading the market. On a weekly basis, XRP is down about 8.6%, while Ethereum is down over 12%. XRP is losing less, but it is not showing strength either. Both assets look heavy.

The comparison chart between XRP/USDT and ETH/USDT makes that evident. Both peaked during the same summer period, both failed to hold their highs and both have slid lower into December. XRP briefly outperformed midyear, then faded back in line with Ethereum. By mid-December, both sit deep in negative territory.

So, why does this prediction matter? The bet here is not about a bounce. But the fact that this type of claim is being made at all shows how the conversation around XRP has changed. The question is no longer survival. It is a replacement. That alone changes how traders frame risk, even if they disagree.

Dogecoin bears disappear: $0 that should not be there

Dogecoin delivers the strangest data point of the day, and it has nothing to do with price.

On the liquidation heatmap by CoinGlass, DOGE shows an anomaly: about $151,950 in long liquidations and exactly $0 in short liquidations for the observed period. Not close to zero. Exactly zero.

That is important because Dogecoin’s price chart is not looking good at the same time. DOGE is trading near $0.13 after months of “down only” price action. Since September, the price has dropped from the $0.30 area through a series of failed rebounds and strong sell-offs. If you look at the daily chart, you will see lower highs, weak bounces and no obvious reversal. Yet derivatives data says sellers are gone.

When short liquidations go away completely, it usually means one thing: bears no longer see value in betting on the downside. Either everyone who wanted to short already did, or the risk of doing so now feels wrong. In both cases, further downside becomes harder to push.

This does not mean that DOGE is about to rally. It means the balance has changed. With no short pressure left to unwind, any further drop has to come from real spot selling. Since the market is already clearing long positions across the majors, that changes the scenario.

“New Cardano” rockets 157.6% in trading activity

While large caps are struggling, the Cardano ecosystem is thriving.

The NIGHT token, which is linked to Cardano’s “new ADA, but with privacy” narrative, has seen a volume-to-market-cap ratio of 157.6% over the past 24 hours, as per CoinMarketCap. Its trading volume reached $1.58 billion, with a market cap of nearly $1.02 billion — a lot of turnover, not passive holding.

The price action lines up with this activity. NIGHT is trading near $0.061, up by over 7% for the week after a volatile-yet-controlled range. The chart shows an initial spike, a deep pullback and sustained trading above the midrange. There are over 6,000 holders, and the circulating supply is close to 16.6 billion, with a fixed total supply of 24 billion.

This activity is happening while ADA itself remains subdued. However, thanks to the Midnight launch, money is not leaving Cardano, rather, it is moving into it. Whether this short-term success will shift the focus back to the main asset, especially when the trading volume shifts away from ADA, is definitely something to keep an eye on.

Crypto market outlook

The market is neither crashing nor recovering. It is stuck between weak price structure and loud narratives. Prices are pressured, leverage is drying up and attention is shifting to stories rather than trends. Until one side wins, volatility remains dangerous and punishing.

• Bitcoin (BTC): Down to $86,600 after another rejection above $90,000 and as long as BTC stays below that zone, upside attempts look fragile, while rallies keep getting sold.
• Ethereum (ETH): Again at $2,930 with a weekly drop of over 12%, so still struggling to gain steam, and it needs to go above $3,000 to stop the slide.
• XRP: Under $2 and down about 8.6% on the week as price is weak, despite a $1 billion milestone in XRP ETFs
• Dogecoin (DOGE): Near $0.13 after months of declining, and price remains weak too, but $0 in short liquidations shows bears are backing off.
• Cardano’s NIGHT: Around $0.061, up 7% weekly, signaling strong speculative demand despite weak ADA.