XRP Rally Surges in South Korea Amid Trade War Easing

XRP is experiencing a significant surge as South Korean retail investors embrace riskier assets, reflecting a cautious return to speculative crypto trading. Recent data shows that XRP and Dogecoin are dominating trading volumes on South Korean exchanges, outstripping even Bitcoin and Ethereum. This trend marks a shift in investor sentiment as optimism grows over easing geopolitical tensions and potential interest rate cuts.

The current spike in trading activity follows the news that the U.S. and China plan to roll back tariffs on several goods—from 145% down to 30% over a three-month period—bringing a sense of relief to global markets. The announcement has been met with renewed enthusiasm from investors, prompting a broader rally in both crypto and equity markets. Coupled with speculation around forthcoming interest rate reductions, the macroeconomic environment appears to favor high-risk assets.

According to data from UpBit, South Korea’s leading cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, the XRP/KRW and DOGE/KRW trading pairs registered more than $250 million in volume over the last 24 hours. Meanwhile, trading volumes for Bitcoin and Ethereum lagged behind, each holding below $150 million.

This buying frenzy signals a reawakening of retail-driven hype similar to South Korea’s historic “Kimchi premium” periods—moments when local investors rush into volatile assets, often pushing domestic prices far above global averages. “Risk assets have recovered sharply to levels that are now challenging even the most ardent bears,” stated Augustine Fan, Head of Insights at crypto options platform SignalPlus. He emphasized that the current trajectory favors further gains unless macroeconomic bears change their stance.

In terms of performance, XRP and Dogecoin each gained over 15% in the past seven days, surpassing Bitcoin’s 10% growth. Ethereum, however, stole the spotlight with an almost 40% jump—its best weekly gain since 2021—although analysts like Fan caution that the movement seems more about speculative positioning than institutional buying. “There’s no evidence of significant ETH ETF inflows, suggesting this was purely a native positioning event,” he noted.

The current upswing bears similarities to other instances where short sellers were forced to close their positions rapidly, triggering a
massive $1 billion short squeeze. This trend has rekindled demand for altcoins, which are now leading the charge in the latest leg of the crypto market’s rebound.

Beyond trading statistics, the overarching political climate is providing a cushion for investor sentiment. “Investors are less apprehensive about crypto as U.S.-China trade talks find resolution and rate cuts appear more likely,” remarked Jeff Mei, Chief Operating Officer at BTSE. He also hinted that a dovish signal from the Federal Reserve next month could catapult Bitcoin to new record highs, potentially reopening lending flows and investment in the U.S. financial sector.

For now, all eyes remain on developments in central bank policies and institutional fund flows, especially with June’s economic meetings on the horizon. Yet in the immediate term, it’s clear that retail traders in South Korea are once again driving momentum in the altcoin markets—with XRP firmly at the center of this resurgence.

Related: Expert Advice: Sell XRP If You’re Confused

Korea’s crypto market has often been viewed as a leading indicator for global retail sentiment, and today’s activity may well echo previous rallies driven by hype, speculation, and favorable macroeconomic shifts. Whether the gains hold or retreat remains to be seen, but the enthusiasm for XRP is undeniably back on center stage.