Thanks for your post.
Ripple will definitely be a coin to hold or keep on buying for 2018. As you said there is a company behind the coin and not just a whitepaper, a team and huge speculations. Also I totally agree with you that it's one of the most hated coins so far because it's backed by the "banks". The "decentralized spirit" can't be delivered that way by XRP. On the other hand let's ask ourselves: How many people are really into crypto because of the "decentralization"? Most people rush into the market without knowledge but with huge dollar amounts in their minds. I bet it's the same with Steemit for some people as well. You can't deny that fact. In my mind that's the reason why the mainstream media is most of the time against btc and co. They are right when they say that it is a highly volatile market and the chances of loosing up to 50% of your investment in no time is true.
But no matter what Ripple solves some problems, shown it potential so far and I'm happy to hold some ripple in my portfolio.
Any price guesses on your side Tomas?