Pro-$XRP lawyer Bill Morgan has often said that $XRP’s price is strongly linked to Bitcoin, acting as a “follower” to market leader movements. This view has put him into a controversy.
Responding to critics, Morgan said, “For those who keep insulting me for saying $XRP follows Bitcoin, I am referring to correlation.”
He further explained what he actually meant.
$XRP Price Follows Bitcoin, Says Bill Morgan
According to Bill Morgan’s recent comments, $XRP price action remains strongly linked with Bitcoin price moves. However, he said this does not mean $XRP copies every Bitcoin move exactly.
“The correlation coefficient between bitcoin price movement and $XRP price movement is quite high, although it varies. It is a directional correlation which does not mean, for example, that if bitcoin price rises or falls by a specific percentage, the corresponding $XRP move will be identical as a percentage.”
Morgan isn’t speaking in a vacuum. The data support his view.
Right now, the 90-day correlation between $XRP and Bitcoin is 0.628. On a scale where 1.0 means both move the same, this is a strong connection.
From 2020 to 2024, this number stayed between 0.5 and 0.8 during different market cycles, showing that the link between $XRP and Bitcoin has remained strong in recent years.
$XRP Falls 1.55 Times Harder Than Bitcoin
He also explained something many $XRP holders feel in their portfolios but rarely see explained this clearly
“$XRP’s higher volatility for different reasons means correlated downward moves are often sharper and longer-lasting for $XRP, while upside moves require stronger catalysts and are often less pronounced. This has generally seen $XRP price fall against bitcoin over time with occasional sharp spikes in favour of $XRP.”
Looking at past data, when Bitcoin falls 10%, $XRP often drops even more, sometimes around 1.55 times deeper.
Recent market moves show this clearly. When Bitcoin fell from its ATH of $126,000 to $80,000 in late 2025, $XRP dropped from around $3.40 to $1.80, a 46% drop compared to Bitcoin’s 37%.
The same happened again in early 2026, when Bitcoin slid from $80,000 to $60,000, while $XRP fell from $1.85 to $1.11, losing 40% while Bitcoin lost about 25%.
Debate Over Escrow Impact Continues
Lastly, Morgan also addressed the ongoing debate over whether $XRP’s monthly escrow releases heavily impact its price. He rejected this idea, saying there is little evidence to support it.
Instead, he believes overall market trends, especially Bitcoin’s movement, play a much bigger role.
AS of now, $XRP price is trading around $1.37, reflecting a 0.27% rise seen in the last 24 hours, while Bitcoin made a jump of 2% in the same period.