Bitcoin vs Ethereum vs Solana vs XRP: Which Giant Is Holding Up Best After the $1 Billion Wipeout — 7 Numbers That Decide It
Ethereum lost more than Bitcoin in one night, XRP's ETF buyers vanished for 4 straight days, and $1 billion in leveraged bets was wiped out — here is which of the four giants is actually holding up best, and the 7 numbers that decide what happens next.
Ethereum lost more than Bitcoin in a single night. XRP's ETF buyers have now gone silent for four straight days. And roughly $1 billion in leveraged crypto bets was wiped out in 24 hours. Yet Bitcoin — the coin everyone expected to fall hardest — is the one holding up best. This is the scoreboard after the worst weekend for crypto since August, and the seven numbers in it decide which of the four giants recovers first.
On Monday morning, November 9, 2026, the four largest cryptocurrencies by market value were all in the red at the same time: Bitcoin at about $74,750, Ethereum at about $2,130, Solana at about $87 and XRP at about $1.11. The total crypto market had shrunk to $2.56 trillion, down 2.8% in a day, and the Crypto Fear & Greed Index sat at 29 — firmly in "fear" territory. The question now is not whether the market fell. It is which of these four giants is built to climb back first — and which one is quietly breaking down.
The Scoreboard: Four Giants, One Brutal Weekend
Start with the raw numbers, because they tell a story most headlines missed. Bitcoin fell roughly 1.7% on the day and briefly dipped to $73,510 overnight — its lowest price since August. Ethereum fell about 5% in the same session, touching $2,060 before recovering. XRP dropped about 4% to $1.11. Solana slipped about 2.5% to $87.
Measured over the past week, XRP is the weakest of the five largest cryptocurrencies, down 7.1%. Solana lost 6.5% and Bitcoin gave up 2.3%. Ethereum slipped only 0.8% on the week, because it had rallied hard just before the fall. Zoom out further and the picture gets darker: Bitcoin is down 27% over the past year and sits 41% below its all-time high of $126,080.
| Coin | Price (Nov 9) | 24h change | 7-day change | Distance from all-time high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bitcoin (BTC) | $74,750 | -1.7% | -2.3% | -41% ($126,080 peak) |
| Ethereum (ETH) | $2,130 | -5.0% | -0.8% | -56% (approx. $4,900 peak) |
| Solana (SOL) | $87 | -2.5% | -6.5% | -70% (approx. $294 peak) |
| XRP (XRP) | $1.11 | -4.0% | -7.1% | -71% ($3.84 peak) |
The trigger was not crypto-native at all. The Nasdaq Composite fell 5.5% in a single session as AI and chip stocks sold off, and crypto followed as a risk asset. Then came the politics: Democrats won control of both the House and the Senate in the US midterm elections on November 3, and traders are now pricing in a much harder road for crypto-friendly laws. The industry-backed CLARITY Act had already stalled in the Senate in September — and the new Congress, which takes over in January 2027, makes its passage look even less likely. On top of that, the market is still digesting the reported $6.3 billion theft from Binance, the largest crypto theft on record. And on Tuesday, November 10, the US October CPI report lands. If inflation comes in hotter than expected, rate-cut hopes fade and the sell-off could deepen.
Bitcoin: The Least-Bad Loser — and the $73,200 Line That Decides Everything
Bitcoin is the strongest of the four right now, and the reason is simple: it fell the least, and it is sitting on the most important technical floor in the market. The 200-day simple moving average sits near $73,179–$73,200, and Bitcoin is holding just above it. That average tracks roughly a year of trading, and as long as price stays above it, the long-term uptrend is technically intact. Lose it on a daily close, and analysts warn there is little support until the $70,000 zone — and then the $65,000 area.
The near-term levels are tightly packed. Support sits at $74,740, just below the current price, then the overnight low around $73,510, then the 200-day average near $73,200. On the upside, resistance starts at $75,590, then the 200-day exponential moving average near $76,460 — a line Bitcoin had held on every daily close since its August breakout until it slipped under it last week. Above that, the 50-day average near $80,000 is the ceiling every bounce has failed against.
The derivatives market tells the same cautious story. The largest resting orders near the price are a bid wall at $73,300 (359 BTC) and an ask wall at $76,400 (316 BTC) — the market is coiled between those two lines. The 14-day RSI stands at 36.65, close to oversold but not there yet. Trading volume has run 1.29 times its 30-day average, so this is not a quiet drift — there is real conviction behind the moves.
But the flow data is the real warning. US spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded roughly $412 million in net outflows over two days, and $1.28 billion across the week of November 2–6 — the biggest weekly exit in months. When the biggest buyers in the market turn into sellers, rallies get sold. Our guide to how spot Bitcoin ETFs work — and what $1.28 billion of outflows actually means explains why ETF flows have become the single most important driver of Bitcoin's price in 2026. For holders, the practical lesson is the same one it has always been: if you hold Bitcoin for the long term, make sure it is actually yours. Read how to store Bitcoin safely in 2026 — 3.7 million BTC are already lost forever, and most of those losses were preventable.
Ethereum: The Night's Biggest Loser — Down 5% and Through $2,100
Ethereum had the worst night of the four. ETH fell about 5% in a single session, broke below $2,100, and touched $2,060 before finding buyers. According to CoinGlass data, Ethereum traders lost $345 million in liquidations in one night — more than Bitcoin traders lost, even though Bitcoin is a far bigger market.
The ETF picture is just as ugly. Ethereum funds lost $365.3 million over the week, with BlackRock's iShares Ethereum Trust shedding $90.8 million on November 6 alone. That is institutional money walking out at the same time retail leverage is being wiped out — a combination that has historically marked local bottoms, but only after the selling exhausts itself.
There are two genuine bright spots. First, large holders accumulated 18,550 ETH even as the price fell — whales buying into weakness while ETFs sold. Second, Ethereum's weekly loss is only 0.8%, because ETH had rallied to $2,421 just days earlier. The coin is volatile, but it is volatile in both directions.
The structural problem is different, and it is not about price. Ethereum's Glamsterdam upgrade — the network's next big technical step — has now been delayed again, with no launch date, after eight protocol rules broke in testing. That delay removes a near-term catalyst bulls were counting on. Our full breakdown is here: Ethereum Glamsterdam delayed again — no launch date as 8 rules break. If you are new to the network, start with What Is Ethereum? The complete beginner's guide to how ETH works in 2026.
Verdict on ETH: the weakest 24 hours, but not the weakest coin. Whale accumulation and a shallow weekly loss argue this sell-off is more about leverage being flushed than holders giving up.
Solana: The Upgrade Nobody Is Pricing In
Solana is the most interesting case in this comparison, because its price and its fundamentals are telling opposite stories. SOL trades at about $87, down 2.5% on the day and 6.5% on the week, pinned near its 200-day average at $89. Solana's spot ETFs lost $26.3 million in the week — small in dollar terms, but the direction is the same as everywhere else: outflows.
And yet Solana just completed its Alpenglow upgrade, which cuts transaction finality to around 150 milliseconds — one of the fastest settlement times of any major blockchain. And the network has now passed 600,000 holders for tokenized stocks on its platform, a milestone no other chain can claim. The chain is getting faster and more used while its token falls. That disconnect is either an opportunity or a warning, and history says it is usually the former — but only for investors who can wait.
The risk for Solana is concentration. When the market turns risk-off, SOL has consistently fallen further than Bitcoin — it is down roughly 70% from its peak, the second-worst drawdown of the four. A soft CPI number would likely send SOL up faster than BTC; a hot one would send it down faster, too.
XRP: The Weakest Giant — ETF Buyers Have Gone Silent for Four Days
XRP is the weakest of the four giants right now, and the evidence is unusually clear. The token fell 7.1% over the past week — the worst of the five largest cryptocurrencies — and dropped 4% on Monday alone to $1.11. It has broken below its 200-day average at $1.27, a level that had held for months. And it is down roughly 50% from a year ago.
But the price is only half the story. The flow data is worse. US spot XRP ETFs recorded zero net inflows on November 3, 4, 5 and 6 — four consecutive flat sessions — after a $529,500 outflow from Canary's XRPC fund on November 2. That is a full week with no new money entering the category. Monthly inflows collapsed from $121.4 million in September to just $18.8 million in October, an 85% drop, and this week extended the fade to zero. Cumulative net inflows still stand near $1.73–1.81 billion since the funds launched in November 2025, but total net assets have slipped to about $1.34 billion — and reconstructions of investor cost bases suggest unrealized losses near $440 million. In plain English: the average XRP ETF investor is underwater. We covered the first three days of this freeze here: XRP ETFs record $0 flows for 3 days as $540M XRP leaves Binance.
There is one counter-signal worth noting. On November 4, about 418.5 million XRP left Binance in a single day — the exchange's largest single-day outflow in nine months — part of roughly $540 million in XRP leaving the exchange that week. Coins leaving exchanges usually means holders moving them to cold storage rather than preparing to sell. It is a bullish on-chain signal sitting right next to a bearish ETF signal, and the two will not both be right for long.
The 7 Numbers That Decide What Happens Next
Here is the scorecard. Seven numbers, updated for November 9, that will decide which of these four giants recovers first.
| # | Number | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $73,200 — Bitcoin's 200-day average | The line between a correction and a broken uptrend. A daily close below it opens the door to $70,000, then $65,000. |
| 2 | $1 billion liquidated in 24 hours | 88% of it was long positions. Forced selling usually peaks before price bottoms. |
| 3 | 29 — Fear & Greed Index | Fear territory. The index hit 25 ("extreme fear") two days ago. Fear this deep has often marked buying zones — but not always immediately. |
| 4 | $1.28 billion — Bitcoin ETF outflows in one week | The biggest buyers became sellers. Until ETF flows turn positive, rallies will be sold into. |
| 5 | 4 straight days of zero XRP ETF inflows | Wall Street has stopped buying XRP entirely. The first positive inflow day is the signal that sentiment is turning. |
| 6 | $345 million — Ethereum liquidations in one night | More than Bitcoin's. ETH leverage is being flushed hardest, which clears the way for a cleaner rebound. |
| 7 | Tuesday, November 10 — US CPI report | The catalyst that decides everything this week. A soft print could trigger a relief rally; a hot print puts the $73,200 line under direct threat. |
Read together, these numbers point to a market that has already done most of its panicking. Leverage is flushed, fear is high, and ETF selling has been heavy for a full week. What is missing is a buyer: ETF flows have to turn, and the CPI print on Tuesday is the most likely trigger.
Bull, Base and Bear: Three Scenarios for the Week Ahead
| Scenario | Trigger | Bitcoin | Ethereum | Solana | XRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bull — relief rally | CPI soft; Fed dovish; ETF outflows stop | Reclaims $76,460, then tests $80,000 | Bounces toward $2,450 | Breaks back above $98–$109 | First positive ETF inflow day; reclaims $1.27 |
| Base — choppy hold | CPI in line; no surprises; flows flat | Ranges $73,200–$76,500 | Ranges $2,060–$2,250 | Ranges $84–$98 | Ranges $1.00–$1.20 |
| Bear — breakdown | CPI hot; rate-hike odds rise; BTC loses $73,200 | Falls toward $70,000, then $65,000 | Tests $2,000, then $1,900 | Tests $84, then $75 | Breaks $1.00, tests $0.90 |
Our base case is the choppy hold. The leverage flush is largely done, which argues against a straight-line collapse, but ETF outflows of this size do not reverse in a day, which argues against a V-shaped recovery. The most likely path is a week of sideways grinding with Tuesday's CPI print deciding the direction of the next big move. These are scenarios, not predictions — no one can know the CPI number in advance.
What Most People Get Wrong About This Sell-Off
First, that ETF outflows mean institutions have "given up on crypto." Outflows of $1.28 billion in a week are real money leaving, but they follow months of inflows, and the same funds bought aggressively at lower prices earlier in the year. Institutions rebalance; they do not vanish. The question is not whether they believe in crypto — it is what price they are willing to buy at.
Second, that a "weak" coin is a bad coin. XRP's fundamentals — Ripple's banking partnerships, the ETF products, the on-chain exchange outflows — have not deteriorated in the past week. Its price has. That gap between price and fundamentals is exactly what value investors look for, and exactly what momentum traders fear.
Third, that fear itself is a sell signal. The Fear & Greed Index at 29, after touching 25, feels terrible — and that is the point. Our explainer on how to use the Crypto Fear and Greed Index to time Bitcoin trades shows that the index has spent most of its time in fear during every major bottom of the past decade. Fear is a condition, not a forecast.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which cryptocurrency is holding up best in November 2026?
Bitcoin, by a clear margin. It fell only 2.3% over the past week — less than Solana (-6.5%) and XRP (-7.1%) — and it is the only one of the four still holding above its 200-day moving average near $73,200. That line is the single most important technical level in the market right now.
Why did Ethereum fall more than Bitcoin in one night?
Leverage. Ethereum traders lost $345 million in liquidations in one night — more than Bitcoin traders — because leveraged long positions were concentrated in ETH after its rally to $2,421. When the market turned, those positions were force-closed in a cascade.
Why are XRP ETFs seeing zero inflows?
US spot XRP ETFs recorded zero net inflows on November 3, 4, 5 and 6, after a $529,500 outflow on November 2. Monthly inflows had already collapsed 85%, from $121.4 million in September to $18.8 million in October. With XRP down 50% year-on-year and the average ETF investor estimated to be sitting on losses near $440 million, new buyers are waiting for a reason — most likely a positive CPI surprise or a turn in the broader market.
Is Bitcoin in a bear market?
Not by the usual definition. Bitcoin is 41% below its $126,080 all-time high, which is a deep correction, but it is still holding above its 200-day moving average — the line that separates long-term uptrends from downtrends. A daily close below $73,200 would change that assessment. Until then, this is a correction inside a longer uptrend, not a confirmed bear market. Read how to invest in Bitcoin in 2026 — the 5-step plan for first-time buyers if you are considering an entry at these levels.
What will the November 10 CPI report do to crypto?
It is the biggest near-term catalyst. A softer-than-expected reading would likely revive rate-cut hopes and trigger a relief rally across all four coins, with Solana and Ethereum — the highest-beta names — moving most. A hotter reading would do the opposite and put Bitcoin's $73,200 line under direct threat. Either way, expect volatility on Tuesday.
Should I buy the dip in Solana or XRP?
That depends on your timeframe, and nobody can answer it for you. Solana has the strongest fundamental news of the four — the Alpenglow upgrade and 600,000 tokenized-stock holders — but also the highest volatility. XRP has the weakest flows but the clearest on-chain counter-signal, with hundreds of millions leaving exchanges. Decide in advance how much of your portfolio belongs in crypto, use a hardware wallet for anything you plan to hold for months — see the best crypto wallets in 2026, compared after the $6.3B Binance hack — and never invest money you need in the next year. This article is not financial advice.
The Bottom Line
After the worst weekend since August, the ranking is clear: Bitcoin is holding up best, Ethereum took the hardest single-night hit but is not broken, Solana has the best news and the worst price action, and XRP has the weakest flows of any major coin. The $1 billion liquidation wipeout flushed the leverage out of the system and fear is running high. What happens next comes down to two things: whether Bitcoin holds $73,200, and what Tuesday's CPI report says.
If you hold any of these four coins, the week ahead is not the time for panic — it is the time for a plan. Know your levels, know your timeframe, and know what would change your mind. The market will give you the answer by Tuesday.
Sources: KuCoin Crypto Daily Market Report, November 9, 2026; TradingView/Benzinga, November 9, 2026; AlphaFinance XRP ETF dashboard; Coinotag XRP ETF flow report; Reuters via Business Recorder, November 9, 2026; CoinGlass liquidation data. Prices as of the morning of November 9, 2026 (CET).
