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Bitcoin and $XRP have CME gaps sitting 25% and 27% away from their current prices, leading to speculation that the market could move to fill these gaps soon.
The crypto market currently faces one of its most bearish phases since 2022, a year marred by the Terra and FTX implosions. Since hitting the $4.27 trillion peak in October 2025, the global crypto market cap has lost $2.01 trillion in value. Bitcoin and $XRP have suffered some of the most devastating blows, down 46% and 62% from their respective 2025 peaks.
Interestingly, market data now points to overhead CME gaps for these two assets, with Bitcoin facing its gap at $84,000 and $XRP witnessing one at $1.74, representing a 24% and 27% rise from current prices. Will they be filled anytime soon?
Key Points
- Amid the ongoing downtrend, the global crypto market cap now stands at $2.06 trillion, having lost $2.01 trillion since the $4.27 trillion peak last October.
- Bitcoin and $XRP have suffered some of the biggest losses amid this downward trend, having respectively dropped 46% and 62% from their 2025 peaks.
- Both assets now face CME gaps overhead, with Bitcoin observing one at $84,000, representing a 25% rise, and $XRP seeing its own gap at $1.74, a 27% increase from current prices.
- When CME gaps emerge on the chart, whether to the downside or upside, prices often gravitate toward them to fill the vacuum.
Bitcoin and $XRP Suffering Severe Losses
Zach Rector, a media personality and $XRP community figure, first called attention to these gaps amid the persistent downward trend. Notably, Bitcoin has collapsed 23.52% this year, on track to record its largest yearly decline since the 2022 bear market.
At the same time, $XRP has dropped 25.88% year-to-date, as it battles the bears below the $1.37 mark. Interestingly, the altcoin has recorded five consecutive weeks of losses and is on track to witness the sixth one this week amid a 4.62% drop.
The $XRP CME Gap
While the downturn threatens to get even uglier, Rector believes the CME gaps may pull prices toward a recovery. For the uninitiated, a CME gap in crypto occurs when the market closes at a particular price for the weekend and then opens at a significantly different price the next week. Prices often gravitate towards these gaps, whether upward or downward, to fill them.
For $XRP, the CME gap occurred between Jan. 30 and Feb. 2. Specifically, $XRP closed Friday, Jan. 30, at a price of $1.7480 on derivatives exchange CME. However, by the time the market opened the next week, the price had corrected significantly. As a result, $XRP opened the new week starting Feb. 2 at $1.5965, representing an 8.6% decline from the previous week’s close.
So far, $XRP has consistently declined from these prices, now trading for $1.3680 at the time of reporting. Market commentators such as Zach Rector believe $XRP’s price could recover to fill this gap. At the current price, a push toward filling the CME gap would result in a rise of 27.7% in $XRP’s value.
The Bitcoin CME Gap
Bitcoin’s CME gap also occurred between Jan. 30 and Feb. 2. Notably, Bitcoin closed Jan. 30 at a price of $84,105 on CME. However, as the new week began on Feb. 2, the weekend downturn had already pushed the price to $77,730. This marked a 7.57% decline from the previous week’s closing price, creating the CME gap.
Like $XRP, Bitcoin has also collapsed from these prices amid the persistent downtrend, now down 13.65% from the $77,730 value. Rector also suggests that Bitcoin’s price could appreciate to fill the gap. With $BTC now trading for $67,100, a recovery of the $84,105 price would mark a 25% increase in value.
Important Caveats
Despite his confidence that the assets will fill these gaps, Rector admitted that the possibility of making new lows before eventually filling the gap remains. However, whether they make new lows or not, he insists the gap will eventually be filled. He also expects $XRP to rise further toward clearing the order blocks around $2 and $3.
Nonetheless, investors should note that, while most CME gaps eventually get filled, the markets do move on without filling some of them for months or even years. For instance, Bitcoin never filled the CME gap in late April until November 2025. Also, up till today, $BTC has not filled the CME gap of around $20,000 that occurred between March 10 and 13, 2023.