The cryptocurrency market has recently witnessed a notable shift in perspective from renowned analyst Charting Guy (@chartingGuy) regarding the long-standing race between XRP and Ethereum (ETH) for market capitalization leadership.

If by the end of 2024 and early 2025, many signals had suggested that XRP could 'overthrow' ETH, currently, Charting Guy believes this scenario is unlikely to happen in the short term.

"I bought back ETH in April when the price was near the bottom, and since then ETH has shown outstanding strength, currently only about 10% away from its historical peak (ATH)," he shared. "Meanwhile, the maximum growth potential of XRP is only about 2.5 times, and even if achieved, the market capitalization cannot exceed ETH at this time."

He also gave advice to investors:

"Don't listen to the 'moon boy' hype. Hold both, sit back comfortably, and let the market unfold as it will."

Community Reaction: Stifled or Natural Growth?

The post quickly became a hot topic of debate.

  • XRP supporters argue that the coin has been 'suppressed' for many years. User Gvtsby (@B3antown_Rich) notes that ETH benefits from favorable conditions and strong participation from financial institutions, while XRP is preparing to enter a breakout phase:

"The chains have been broken. With the ETF about to launch and a series of other supporting factors, XRP stands before the opportunity to create one of the largest ROIs in market history."

  • ETH supporters or neutrals argue that Ethereum's current advantage is hard to reverse. However, there are still voices believing in XRP's long-term victory. Ben Bauer (@DropOutEcon) believes:

"It may not be this cycle, but there will come a time when XRP surpasses ETH. ETH today shares many similarities with the traditional financial system, which has many frictions. Perhaps this is also the reason why J.P. Morgan quietly holds, as the bank can profit from these very frictions."

Market Context

  • Ethereum (ETH): Approaching its historical peak, benefiting from strong interest from institutions and the general upward trend in the market. In the past 7 days, ETH increased by 27.44%, reaching $4,734, with a market capitalization of $571 billion.

  • XRP: Still affected by ongoing legal issues, but expected to gain new momentum from the potential approval of ETFs and expanding applications. During the same period, XRP only increased by 7.81%, reaching $3.23, with a market capitalization of $191 billion.

The current market capitalization gap shows that XRP needs a very strong growth to 'overthrow' ETH, something even the most optimistic believe is unlikely to happen in this cycle.

Conclusion

Charting Guy's new perspective reflects ETH's clear strength at the moment, while XRP remains an asset with long-term potential but needs many supporting factors to break out. The debate between the two communities will continue, and regardless of which scenario occurs, both ETH and XRP will continue to play important roles in the overall cryptocurrency market.