According to analyst David Hepburn, most people in cryptocurrency are losing money not because there is no opportunity, but because they chase projects that vanish overnight.

In a video on his YouTube channel, he asked the question many long-term investors could be wondering, and that is if holding Stellar (XLM), Ripple (XRP) or XDC still lead to life-changing gains, or is it time to look elsewhere?

Hepburn explained that these three tokens have already produced impressive gains this cycle. XRP has risen 11.9X from its cycle low, XLM has climbed 8.9X, and XDC has increased 6.2X. By comparison, many traders have lost money through emotional trading or investing in risky low-cap tokens that collapse to zero.

He believes that simply holding quality utility cryptocurrencies like XRP, XLM and XDC has outperformed the broader market so far.

He also highlighted that these three projects are category leaders. XRP dominates the B2B cross-border payments market, XLM leads in peer-to-peer cross-border transfers with partnerships like MoneyGram, and XDC focuses on digitizing trade finance. These are trillion-dollar markets, and Hepburn believes that their long-standing integrations and partnerships make them hard to replicate.

Hepburn pointed out that history does not repeat, but it often rhymes. By looking at previous cycle performances, he noted that XRP reached a 7.9X gain in one cycle, XLM hit a 20.7X gain, and XDC saw over 1000X in its early run. However, he warned that diminishing returns are normal in crypto, with lower percentage gains in each cycle.

Still, he sees room for growth. XLM, currently up around 8X from its lows, could push toward a 10X or even 13X, testing its all-time high. XRP, already outperforming in this cycle, could see a 20X rise from its lows, which would place its price around $6 or higher. For XDC, he believes a jump from its current 6.2X to around 20X is realistic, based on the patterns of XRP and XLM.

Hepburn also noted that XRP’s past performance was held back by its legal battle with the SEC. Now that the case is resolved, adoption and network growth could drive stronger results. XLM’s trajectory has followed a predictable pattern, while XDC is newer, so its future potential is harder to estimate but still promising.

While Hepburn is optimistic about XRP, XLM and XDC, he stressed that no market goes up forever. He warned against the belief that utility cryptocurrencies will avoid another bear market. In his view, history shows that even the strongest projects see long corrections after a peak.

To identify potential tops, he monitors several indicators. These include USDT dominance falling to around 3.5% or lower, which often signals that investors are fully committed to risk assets like Bitcoin and altcoins. He also watches whale wallet activity, noting that accumulation phases often align with bottoms and heavy selling often marks the start of a downtrend.

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Finally, he keeps an eye on spot premium data for XRP. A sustained loss of spot premium can indicate weakening demand. While he uses these signals as part of his profit-taking strategy, Hepburn prefers setting price targets for his holdings ahead of time to remove emotion from the decision-making process.

In closing, Hepburn believes that holding Stellar (XLM), XRP and XDC still offers strong potential for outperformance this cycle.

Their unique market positions, established partnerships, and history of resilience set them apart from thousands of competing cryptocurrencies. However, he advises investors to remain disciplined, manage risk, and have a clear exit plan as the market moves toward its eventual peak.

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The post Could Holding XRP, XLM, and XDC in 2025 Still Make You Rich? appeared first on CaptainAltcoin.

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