Ripple has released 1 billion XRP from escrow in December, executed through two transactions of 500 million tokens each to the Ripple (9) and Ripple (28) addresses. This release adds liquidity as XRP consolidates around $2.17. Analysts highlight $2.30 as a critical resistance level, with a potential breakout possibly driving prices to $2.45 and $2.50. A decline below $2.18 could lead to a retracement towards $2.075.