Ripple networks native coin XRP has seen exceptional growth in 2017 and is now the 4th largest crypto by market cap. It broke the magical 1$ barrier recently and is now become sort of mainstream in the crypto world after bitcoin. A lot of speculation (read "hopes of long time holders") have been around XRP being enlisted on coinbase in 2018. Coinbase themselves have stated that will be listing more coins in the coming future. So how much is it possible that XRP will get listed on coinbase and how will it effect it's value ?
The answer is it is highly likely that XRP will indeed get listed on Coinbase in 2018. Given that it is now a mainstream coin and has been around since a very long time and the fact that it Ripple is a real company behind the coin, it makes it highly regulator friendly. Coinbase is the largest crypto exchange in North America and it thus is closely monitored by the Feds. Thus Coinbase has to be very careful while enlisting any new digital asset... it has to make sure that it is stable and reliable and has credibility. XRP fits the bill. And with its real world partnerships with banks, it is all the more attractive.
However, it's the timing of addition of XRP that is tricky. I personally feel that coinbase may not add XRP until March 2018. Not until the Segwit2X drama has passed. A controversial segwit2X botcoin fork is planned on December 28th. Coinbase may support it (although they wouldn't announce it at the outset). I bet there would be some insider trading before that happens.... just like Bitcoin Cash. Amidst all this, altcoins may see a slight sell off, including XRP. Expect it to drop to 90 - 80 cents.
Then there's IRS. It may mandate in 2018 that any exchange of cryptos, not necessarily with USD, would have tax implications and thus even if you don't encash your crypto for USD, tax may still apply. This might force many of us to sell part of their coins to pay for the tax.... this again would lead to some sell off in all coins, especially Bitcoin. This will lead to huge profits for big institutions that have shorted Bitcoin via futures.
However, overall 2018 should be a great year for XRP. Expect some big announcements. Price target could be anywhere between 2$-8$. And yes..... XRP will get listed on coinbase.