The cryptocurrency market capitalization briefly surpassed $4 trillion yesterday (Thursday). This rise was driven mainly by strong gains in Ether and XRP. XRP’s price increased nearly 20% in a single day.

The market movement followed the approval of the GENIUS Act by the U.S. House of Representatives. The legislation aims to provide clearer regulatory guidelines for digital assets. Some investors interpret the bill as a sign of increased political focus on the crypto sector.

Regulatory Changes Affect Investor Behavior and Altcoin Performance

Data from CoinGecko showed the market cap exceeding $4 trillion, an all-time high, during the day. However, CoinMarketCap and TradingView reported slightly lower figures, between $3.8 trillion and $3.9 trillion.

JUST IN: The total crypto market cap has hit a new ATH of $4T. pic.twitter.com/gE8hRFegwz

— CoinGecko (@coingecko) July 18, 2025

Ether gained about 8% in the day, trading above $3,600. Its value has risen roughly 40% over the past two weeks. Ether-linked stocks rose after ether reached a six-month high, outperforming Bitcoin. Companies increased ether holdings amid growing stablecoin use on Ethereum.

You may find it interesting at FinanceMagnates.com: XRP Nears $3: Grayscale Challenges SEC Over Paused Multi-Crypto ETF.

Analysts said the new law has improved market sentiment. Many investors appear more willing to take risks. While Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies also saw gains, the largest increases occurred in altcoins, especially those with regulatory implications.

XRP Price Correction After Bullish Surge

The XRPUSD H1 chart shows that after a strong bullish run, the price faced resistance near 3.66000 and experienced a bearish correction. So far, the 3.41000 level has acted as intraday support.

A clear bullish reversal here could draw buyers and push the price back toward yesterday’s high. Conversely, a bearish break below this support may lead to an extended price correction.

XRP and Bitcoin Prices Track Analyst Projections

Earlier projections from DeepSeek AI suggested that XRP could trade between $3.50 and $5.00 by the end of 2025. The platform also outlined three possible scenarios for Bitcoin, with a base case range of $100K to $150K and a more optimistic projection of $350K under a “hyperbitcoinization” phase.

Analyst Austin Hilton noted that if XRP breaks above $3, it may revisit its previous all-time high of $3.84, with possible targets of $5 or higher, depending on market conditions. A pullback to the $2.55–$2.60 range was also considered.

Recent price movements suggest the market may be starting to align with some of these projections.