The cryptocurrency market continues to show resilience, with Solana (SOL) and XRP emerging as standout performers while enthusiasm around Ethereum begins to cool. For the first time in September, the global crypto market capitalization briefly crossed the $4 trillion milestone, according to CoinGecko data—a sign that investor appetite for digital assets remains strong.

At the time of reporting, Solana traded at $216.37, up 1.1% from the previous day after briefly touching $219.50. Meanwhile, XRP broke above $3 earlier this week before settling around $2.99, still 0.1% higher than its Monday levels.

Data from Myriad, a prediction market owned by Decrypt’s parent company Dastan, shows a surge in optimism among retail traders. A majority—54%—believe Solana could hit a new all-time high before year-end. Notably, 75% of users think SOL is more likely to test $250 rather than decline to $130.

XRP sentiment is trending similarly bullish, with 54.7% of traders forecasting a climb to $4 before any dip to $2. This growing confidence comes as inflows into Solana and XRP funds have been consistently rising in European and non-U.S. markets.

According to CoinShares, Solana-linked products have now enjoyed 21 consecutive weeks of inflows, accumulating $1.1 billion in 2025. XRP exchange-traded products have attracted $1.2 billion this year alone.

Much of the renewed excitement comes from expectations that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) could soon approve Solana and XRP exchange-traded products (ETPs). Such approvals would allow investors to gain exposure to these assets without directly managing cryptocurrencies on exchanges or wallets—an important step toward mainstream adoption.

“Solana, Dogecoin, and XRP are showing relative strength against the flat broader crypto market as speculation around near-term ETF approvals fuels outsized buying,” said Shawn Young, chief analyst at crypto exchange MEXC. “These tokens have emerged as relative outperformers because ETF flows remain one of the single largest short-term catalysts for digital assets.”

Young added that the sharp outflows from **Ethereum ETFs—over $1 billion in recent days—**have fueled a capital rotation into Solana and XRP, creating what he described as a “first-mover premium” ahead of Q4.

While ETF speculation has been a catalyst, analysts say the long-term fundamentals of Solana remain key. David Siemer, CEO of Wave Digital Assets, told Decrypt:
“For Solana, growth will likely be driven by its strong developer ecosystem and real-world utility in DeFi, NFTs, and payments spaces. Its low-cost, high-throughput infrastructure has positioned it as a serious competitor to Ethereum, and continued adoption from both retail users and builders could sustain momentum into year-end.”

Indeed, Solana’s network upgrades—focused on faster transaction speeds and greater reliability—are adding to investor confidence. Prediction market data shows a 20% rise in the odds of Solana hitting a new all-time high within the past two weeks alone.