The SEC vs. Ripple case took center stage on Thursday, June 5, as a pivotal court deadline loomed. In April 2025, the US Court of Appeals granted a joint motion to hold the SEC’s appeal in abeyance to enable progress toward a settlement. According to the court ruling, the SEC must file a status report on the settlement by June 16.
However, since the court ruling, Judge Analisa Torres denied an SEC and Ripple joint motion for an indicative ruling on settlement terms on May 15. These terms included lifting the ban on XRP sales to institutional investors and lowering the $125 million penalty.
A favorable indicative ruling on settlement terms is crucial for Ripple to drop its cross-appeal and the SEC to withdraw its appeal against the Programmatic Sales of XRP ruling.
Pro-crypto lawyer Bill Morgan remarked:
“The countdown to the date the SEC must report to the Appeal Court is now 12 days. Something has to happen by then or the Appeal and Cross-appeal continues and a briefing is due from Ripple.”
Since Judge Torres rejected the joint motion, XRP has tumbled 18%, underscoring market angst over the legal developments.
XRP slid 4.81% on Thursday, June 5. Following Wednesday’s 1.96% decline, XRP closed at $2.0959, its lowest since April 21. Notably, the token underperformed the broader market, which declined 3.63% to a total crypto market cap of $3.13 trillion.
XRP’s near-term price outlook hinges on legal-related updates and spot ETF-related news.
A break above $2.20 could signal a climb toward $2.5 and the May 12 high of $2.6553. A sustained breakout from $2.6553 may open the door to retesting $3 and the record high of $3.5505. Conversely, a drop below $2 and the 200-day EMA could expose XRP to the $1.9299 support level.
For a deeper dive, see our full XRP forecast here.
While XRP trends remain hinged on legal developments, bitcoin (BTC) faced selling pressure as the President Trump–Elon Musk feud intensified. President Trump announced on June 4:
“The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon’s Government Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn’t do it!”
Notably, Tesla (TSLA) tumbled 14.26% to $284.7 overnight as investors reacted to the evolving feud.
Tony Sycamore, market analyst at IG, remarked on BTC’s pullback, stating:
“While we don’t agree with the view BTC is crashing, we do think that the dramatic fallout between Elon Musk and President Trump this week serves as a jarring wake-up call, highlighting that businesses and industries, including the crypto sector, cannot take the White House’s support for granted indefinitely.”
Sycamore’s comments highlighted the potential for Trump to pivot from pro-crypto at any time.
Market sentiment toward the Trump-Musk feud impacted demand for BTC-spot ETFs. According to Farside Investors, key flows for June 5 included:
Excluding pending flow data for BlackRock’s (BLK) iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), the US BTC-spot ETF market saw total outflows of $278.4 million. BTC-spot ETF issuers reported net inflows of $87 million on June 4.
BTC slid 3% on June 5, following a 0.65% loss on Wednesday to close at $101,616. Despite the reversal, BTC avoided a drop below the key $100,000 support level.
The near-term price outlook depends on legislative updates, the US Jobs Report, Fed policy signals, trade developments, and ETF flows.
Potential scenarios:
Investors should consider Ripple case-related news, US crypto legislation, US labor market data, and Fed commentary. These factors will continue driving sentiment across XRP and BTC, potentially dictating whether the tokens revisit recent highs.
Explore analyst forecasts on where XRP and BTC may head next as legal and political factors unfold.
123456789 30 He has written extensively for a broader audience and his current focus is on developments relating to the financial markets including, but not limited to currencies, commodities, alternative asset classes, and global equities.