XRP (XRP) dropped to $1.43 despite a brief weekend rally to $1.50, as on-chain data from Binance revealed funding rates hit their lowest level since April 2025, signaling traders are paying premiums to bet against the asset.

What Happened: Derivatives Shift

Arab Chain, an analyst on CryptoQuant, reported that XRP funding rates on Binance declined to approximately -0.028 in recent days. This represents the most negative reading in nearly a year.

The metric tracks periodic fees exchanged between traders in derivatives markets, with negative rates indicating short sellers receive payments from long position holders.

The altcoin rebounded nearly 25% from its recent local low over the weekend, reaching around $1.50. That momentum proved short-lived. The asset has since declined more than 1.5% in the past 24 hours.

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Why It Matters: Bearish Positioning

Arab Chain noted that deeply negative funding rates reflect widespread market pessimism, with traders willing to pay for short exposure. The analyst wrote that funding rates at extreme negative levels often coincide with advanced downtrend stages when most traders already hold short positions.

Historical patterns show low funding rates sometimes precede temporary rebounds when speculative demand returns, though they typically signal reduced risk appetite.

The current funding environment suggests any shift in sentiment could trigger faster-than-expected price movements. Arab Chain cautioned that the derivatives market positioning indicates defensive hedging against further declines.

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