> At a Glance
> – CNBC’s Power Lunch brands XRP the “hottest crypto trade of the year”
> – XRP rallied 20% YTD to $2.25 while Bitcoin stays flat near $92,000
> – Morgan Stanley files for Bitcoin and Solana ETFs same day
> – Why it matters: Investors now chase higher-beta altcoins for bigger gains
XRP stole the crypto spotlight on January 6 when CNBC declared it the year’s top trade, eclipsing Bitcoin and Ethereum as capital rotates toward higher-risk, higher-reward tokens.
The CNBC Call
Host Brian Sullivan opened the Power Lunch segment:
> “The hottest crypto trade of the year is not Bitcoin, it is not Ether, it is XRP.”
He highlighted the token’s 20% year-to-date surge and its leap into the top three by market cap, adding that “big money” is driving the move.
Reporter Mackenzie Sigalos traced the rally back to late 2025:
> “During the doldrums of Q4, you actually saw a lot of people piling into those XRP ETFs.”
Unlike Bitcoin and ETH ETFs, where flows lag price, XRP ETFs saw anticipatory buying. Investors viewed the token as “a less crowded train”-a bet that paid off in early January.
Price Action in Numbers
| Token | Price | 24h | YTD | 30-day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| XRP | $2.25 | -5% | +20% | +7% |
| BTC | ~$92k | -2% | flat | flat |
| ETH | ~$3,200 | flat | flat | weak |
XRP climbed from under $1.85 to just over $2.40 in days, fueled by spot ETF inflows and falling exchange balances. It remains 38% below its $3.65 all-time high.
Bigger Market Rotation
Sigalos grouped XRP with Solana as the “two very popular altcoins right now,” saying investors want “larger percentage gains” beyond the megacaps.
- XRP courts cross-border payment users
- Solana wins on speed and low-cost asset tokenization
- Cost drives diversification: Solana beats Ethereum fees for stablecoin issuers
The same broadcast day, Morgan Stanley filed to launch Bitcoin and Solana ETFs, while Coinbase‘s December 2025 integration of Solana DEX trading opened the ecosystem to 100 million users.
Key Takeaways
- CNBC’s label marks a sentiment shift from blue-chip crypto to higher-beta names
- XRP ETF inflows started in Q4 2025, front-running January’s price pop
- Investors now favor altcoins with distinct use cases over pure store-of-value plays
- Wall Street’s simultaneous ETF moves show diversified crypto appetite
The crypto hierarchy is reshuffling as traders trade Bitcoin’s maturity for altcoins with fresher catalysts.
