The crypto markets seem to have been engulfed by the bearish forces as the ETH Price slid dropped below $3300. Despite this, the Ethereum price is showing fresh signs of tightening supply as staking-related metrics heat up again. On-chain dashboards tracking Beacon Chain flows and validator activity indicate a renewed appetite for locking ETH into …
The crypto market saw a sharp sell-off today, with Bitcoin, Ethereum and XRP all moving lower within a short time. The total crypto market cap fell to $3.13 trillion, down nearly 3%, as traders rushed to cut risk. Bitcoin critic and gold advocate Peter Schiff wrote on social media, “It’s another Sunday night where the …
Ethereum price started a fresh decline from the $3,400 resistance. ETH is now consolidating losses and holding the key support at $3,200. Ethereum started a sharp downside correction below $3,320. The price is trading below $3,250 and the 100-hourly Simple Moving Average. There was a break below a bullish trend line with support at $3,220 on the hourly chart of ETH/USD (data feed via Kraken). The pair could start a fresh increase if it stays above the $3,180 zone. Ethereum Price Dips To Support Ethereum price failed to remain stable above $3,300 and started a fresh decline, like Bitcoin. ETH price declined below $3,280 and $3,250 to enter a bearish zone. There was a break below a bullish trend line with support at $3,220 on the hourly chart of ETH/USD. The pair even declined below the 50% Fib retracement level of the recent wave from the $3,060 swing low to the $3,402 high. The price finally tested $3,180. Ethereum price is now trading below $3,250 and the 100-hourly Simple Moving Average. If the bulls can protect more losses below $3,180 or the 61.8% Fib retracement level of the recent wave from the $3,060 swing low to the $3,402 high, the price could attempt another increase. Immediate resistance is seen near the $3,230 level. The first key resistance is near the $3,250 level. The next major resistance is near the $3,280 level. A clear move above the $3,280 resistance might send the price toward the $3,320 resistance. An upside break above the $3,320 region might call for more gains in the coming days. In the stated case, Ether could rise toward the $3,400 resistance zone or even $3,450 in the near term. More Losses In ETH? If Ethereum fails to clear the $3,250 resistance, it could start a fresh decline. Initial support on the downside is near the $3,200 level. The first major support sits near the $3,180 zone. A clear move below the $3,180 support might push the price toward the $3,120 support. Any more losses might send the price toward the $3,050 region. The main support could be $3,000. Technical Indicators Hourly MACD – The MACD for ETH/USD is losing momentum in the bearish zone. Hourly RSI – The RSI for ETH/USD is now below the 50 zone. Major Support Level – $3,180 Major Resistance Level – $3,280
The seven-day moving average of daily Ethereum transactions is now nearly double its value from one year ago, as gas fees drop in tandem.
Ethereum is showing signs of strength on two critical fronts at the same time. On-chain activity has climbed to record levels, reflecting heavier real usage across the network, while long-term technical structure is leaning towards upside continuation. Together, these signals suggest that Ethereum’s current phase may be more than just sideways movement, as underlying data points to sustained demand and constructive price behavior. Related Reading: Saylor Defends Bitcoin Treasury Firms Amid Rising Criticism Ethereum Daily Transactions Reach New High Ethereum’s price action is turning bullish with a steady increase in recent days. Notably, on-chain data shows that this increase is on top of steady on-chain activity in recent days. Data from Ethereum’s on-chain activity shows that daily transactions recently climbed to approximately 2.8 million, setting a new all-time high for the network. Interestingly, this figure stands out not just as a record, but because it is roughly 64% higher than the daily transaction levels observed during the peak of the 2021 bull market. The chart data from Sentora illustrates a progression showing Ethereum’s transaction count rising steadily over the years and spiking up in early 2026. Comparing the transaction activity to 2021 adds more context considering the intense amount of activity that the Ethereum network was witnessing at the time. Back then, Ethereum was at the center of an altcoin season and NFT boom, all of which contributed to a spike in transaction activity and a push to new price highs. The fact that Ethereum is now processing significantly more transactions per day compared to 2021 shows that its network usage has grown above speculative behavior. The steady climb in transaction activity shows the sheer amount of usage across decentralized finance and stablecoin settlement, among many others. Ethereum Daily Transactions Chart. Source: @SentoraHQ On X Ethereum Reaccumulation Within A Macro Uptrend Technical analysis of Ethereum’s market capitalization on the three-week candlestick timeframe shows the cryptocurrency is still trading in a zone of stability. Particularly, technical analysis done by crypto analyst Egrag Crypto suggests that Ethereum is in reaccumulation within a macro uptrend. A look at the 3-week timeframe shows that ETH’s market cap is holding above the 21 EMA, respecting the rising macro trendline, printing higher highs & higher lows, and compressing under historical resistance. That is constructive behavior, not weakness. History shows that periods where Ethereum’s market cap held above the 21 EMA on this timeframe have led to expansion phases, whereas sustained moves below it have marked bear market conditions. Related Reading: What’s Driving The $1.42 Billion Comeback In Spot Bitcoin ETFs? At present, the structure indicates the EMA support is being defended. From a probabilistic standpoint, the current setup leans toward continuation rather than breakdown. A move through the overhead resistance band would likely confirm an expansion phase and allow Ethereum to go on a 70% to 75% bullish continuation. Market Cap ETH. Source: @egragcrypto On X On the other hand, a bearish outcome will become possible if the price action loses the 21 EMA on the three-week chart. This could validate a deeper 25% to 30% correction toward the lower trendline, but this scenario carries a lower probability. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView
More than 36 million ETH is now staked in Ethereum's proof-of-stake system, close to 30% of the circulating supply and worth over $118 billion at recent prices. That headline number sounds like a clean vote of confidence: holders are locking up their ETH to secure the network, collect yield, and signal they’re in no rush […]
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Ethereum’s biggest risk may no longer be competition, regulation, or scaling. According to Vitalik Buterin, the real threat is something more subtle: complexity. In a recent warning, Buterin argued that Ethereum’s long-term goals, trustlessness, self-sovereignty, and resilience, are being quietly undermined as the protocol grows larger, more technical, and harder to understand. His message was …
Ethereum continues to show resilience, holding its ground above key support levels even as price faces firm resistance near the $3,400 zone. The ability to sustain strength after recent gains highlights improving market structure, suggesting that buyers remain in control. As long as ETH stays supported above its critical trend levels, the broader upside narrative remains intact despite near-term hesitation. Daily Bull Market Support Band Holds As Key Reversal Zone Luca, in a recent ETH update shared on X, pointed out that Ethereum’s market structure has strengthened considerably over the past several days. The price has been able to hold above the 1D Bull Market Support Band, a level that has acted as a reliable reversal zone multiple times over the last couple of months. This sustained hold suggests improving market confidence and a reduction in immediate downside risk. Related Reading: Ethereum Price Pushes Toward Breakout Levels, Bulls Smell Opportunity Alongside this structural improvement, ETH successfully reclaimed the 0.618 Fibonacci point of interest around the $3,100 region. This level is often viewed as a critical threshold in corrective phases, and holding above it typically signals that buyers are gaining the upper hand. Despite the positive developments, Ethereum has not moved higher without hesitation. ETH’s price recently faced rejection near the 0.5 Fibonacci level around $3,400, an outcome Luca noted was largely expected. Historically, this area has acted as a significant decision point, often attracting selling pressure and temporary pullbacks before the market decides on its next direction. Looking forward, Luca believes the overall outlook remains constructive as long as ETH continues to trade above the 1D Bull Market Support Band and the 0.618 Fibonacci level. Maintaining these supports would keep the path open for renewed upside attempts, even if short-term consolidations occur, and the analyst’s positioning remains unchanged. ETH Above Daily 200MA, Structure Remains Constructive According to a recent post by Daan Crypto Trades, Ethereum is still advancing gradually while respecting the Daily 200-day moving average against Bitcoin. This type of slow, methodical grind often signals strength beneath the surface, suggesting that buyers remain in control even without aggressive momentum. Related Reading: Ethereum’s Q1 Outlook: Analyst Shares Historical Setup As Price Nears Key Resistance The analyst explained that prolonged consolidations and steady climbs like this typically resolve with an acceleration phase. Should ETH break out with stronger upside momentum, it could serve as a trigger for renewed interest across the altcoin market, helping lift sentiment and price action. However, the structure remains conditional. Holding the Daily 200MA, highlighted in purple, is critical to maintaining this constructive setup. In parallel, Bitcoin must stay above the $94,000 level to maintain the broader low-timeframe bullish structure. As long as these conditions are met, the path of least resistance continues to favor further upside. Featured image from iStock, chart from Tradingview.com
Over the week, Ethereum struggled to sustain any significant move to the upside. Although the second-largest cryptocurrency reclaimed the $3,300 price level, it could not break above $3,400 to continue its path towards higher price levels. As it stands, it appears that the Ether token is taking on a short-term bearish structure. However, an on-chain evaluation has recently been put out, which suggests that market participants might be gearing up for a significant move in the near-term. Related Reading: The Ethereum MACD Crossover That Could Lead To A Massive Bull Wave Ethereum Futures Activity Reaches Monthly High Following Market Inactivity In a recent QuickTake post on the CryptoQuant platform, analytics group Arab Chain reveals that there has recently been a spike in futures trading activity on the Binance derivatives market. This revelation is based on the Binance: ETH Futures Daily Volume metric, which monitors the total value of Ethereum futures contracts being traded on Binance each day, hence reflecting market activity, trader participation, and potential leverage exposure. The latest reading of the metric has highlighted a major shift, with trading volume climbing as high as $21.7 billion. According to Arab Chain, this reading marks the highest level since mid-December, reflecting that strong momentum has returned to the futures market. Notably, the spike in futures trading volume was preceded by a period of relative decline in the second half of December. This event coincides with a period of price stability, alongside a tapering risk appetite among traders. Interestingly, institutional investors also contributed prevalent aversion to risk. Arab Chain explains that the decline is a typical sign that market participants want to “wait and see,” instead of speculatively opening large positions. However, the present scenario — where futures volume surged — paints an opposing story. As the futures trading volume reflects levels above its mid-December high, it becomes apparent that interest among Ethereum traders is being rekindled. This is because increasing futures volume “is typically associated with higher leverage usage, hedging activity, and speculative positioning” — a line up which indicates that the market is preparing for significant movement. The reason for this spike could also be attributed to traders who are reacting to key technical levels or shifting expectations around near-term price action of a potential trend reversal. In the grand scheme, however, the Ethereum price reacts to this activity, depending on the alignment of spot demand with derivatives activity. Till such a definite sign comes up, the market stands at a point of uncertainty. Related Reading: Bitcoin Price Will Still Rally Above $99,000 Despite Bearish Sentiment, Here’s Why ETH Price Overview As of this writing, Ethereum stands at a price of $3,292, reflecting no real growth since the past day. Featured image from Flickr, chart from Tradingview
The Ethereum price prediction January 2026 is gaining traction as ETH extends an upward trend that began in late November 2025. By mid-January, Ethereum retested its 200-day EMA while ETF inflows, improving on-chain metrics, and shifting market psychology strongly pointing toward strengthening momentum that might result in a rally soon. Ethereum Price Prediction January 2026: …
XRP has become the default trading chip of South Korea, bypassing Bitcoin and Ethereum to dominate the country’s high-velocity retail market. While institutional capital worldwide typically gravitates toward Bitcoin as a store of value, South Korean trading patterns tell a different story. Data from the country's largest exchanges reveals that when the market heats up, […]
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Weekend liquidity is usually thinner, and that’s exactly why BTC, ETH, and SOL are worth watching right now. When the market has fewer orders on the books, even modest buying or selling can move the price faster than expected. This weekend, two signals line up in a way traders can’t ignore: a large tracked account …
According to CoinGecko’s annual report, crypto treasury companies were among the year’s biggest buyers even as prices fell. Their balance sheets grew sharply, and their actions left a clear mark on supply and markets. The numbers tell a story of heavy buying, pause, and then corporate moves to protect share value. Related Reading: Crypto Money Floods US Politics As $21 Million Backs Trump PAC Large Treasury Buying Spree Reports have disclosed that these treasury firms deployed close to $50 billion into Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other tokens during 2025. At the start of the year, treasuries held more than $56 billion in crypto. By January one, 2026, that figure had risen to $134 billion — a gain of 137%. This buying helped push institutional ownership higher, with treasuries holding more than 5% of both Bitcoin and Ethereum supply by year-end. Public companies alone raised their Bitcoin reserves from about 598,714 coins to more than 1 million, an increase near 500,000 BTC. Market Drop Came Late In The Year The broader market did not keep its earlier momentum. Total crypto value fell almost 8% in 2025 and finished the year near $3 trillion. Most of the damage came late. 2025 Annual Crypto Industry Report is now LIVE ???? Last year marked crypto’s first down year since 2022, featuring a brief $4.4T peak in Q4 before a historic $19B liquidation ended the year at $3.0T. Here are 7 key highlights you shouldn’t miss ???? pic.twitter.com/HLbI5BrzwN — CoinGecko (@coingecko) January 15, 2026 The market shed almost a quarter of its value in the last three months, and a liquidation wave near $19 billion in October sped the decline after total market value briefly hit about $4.4 trillion. Bitcoin slipped roughly 1.4% to near $95,300 at one point as investors weighed policy moves in the US and shifting rate expectations. Supply Now Held By Treasuries By the start of 2026, treasuries were holding more than 1 million Bitcoin and 6 million ETH. That concentration matters because assets put on corporate books are less likely to be traded frequently. When large shares of supply are locked up, price swings can be smaller in calm times, but the effect can flip if selling is forced. BTCUSD trading at $95,524 on the 24-hour chart: TradingView Related Reading: Bitcoin’s New Power Buyers: Companies Bought 3 Times What Miners Produced Companies Shifted Strategy When Stocks Fell When prices fell in the fourth quarter, some treasury firms saw their share prices dip below the value of their crypto holdings. To support their stock, many paused buying and turned to share buybacks. That action slowed the pace of token purchases. The move was traditional: protect investors’ equity value rather than add more tokens into a weakening market. Featured image from Pexels, chart from TradingView
Ethereum finds itself in an unusual position where the fundamentals are strengthening, but capital flows remain hesitant. On-chain activity and the real-world tokenization of assets point to a network that is becoming increasingly useful and more deeply embedded in financial infrastructure. The price action movement shows that ETH is stuck in a range where it is struggling to attract sustained momentum. Why Fundamentals And Price Are Diverging Ethereum is stuck in the middle, with the price hovering around $3,300, which is slightly up from earlier this month, but it remains compressed within the same triangle that has been forming since November. An investor known as Pepeisfriend mentioned on X that this kind of price action usually means pressure is building and a move is coming. However, the direction hasn’t been specified. Related Reading: Ethereum Outlook Has Improved, And It Could Outperform Bitcoin – Here’s What To Know As a result of this move, big money doesn’t seem very excited. ETH whales have been slowly reducing their exposure since mid-December, with no panic selling, just lightening positions. This kind of behavior signals a lower willingness from large investors to carry risk at these levels. The ETF flows have shown that there have been a few days of positive inflows, but the overall net flows are still negative, showing institutions haven’t truly rotated back into ETH the way they did during the previous hype phase. Meanwhile, Decentralized Finance (DeFi) activity looks weaker, and total value locked (TVL) has dropped noticeably, suggesting that on-chain capital is either leaving or just sitting on the sidelines. When DeFi isn’t active, ETH struggles to generate sustained upside momentum. Related Reading: Ethereum Price Finds Balance at Support—But the Next Move Matters Investor Pepeisfriend concluded that ETH isn’t bearish, but also not inspiring confidence for a breakout. This is a clear “wait for confirmation” phase that must be held, but probably still too early to go all-in or expect an immediate breakout. The Moment That Will Look Obvious In Hindsight While the market is obsessed with layer-1 competition, Ethereum is transitioning from a speculative asset into a yield-bearing, productive asset. Analyst Senior pointed out that on January 15, 2026, Sharplink Gaming deployed $170 million worth of ETH into a combined staking and restaking strategy on Linea. This move shows that institutional treasuries have moved beyond simple accumulation to active yield generation. At the same time, Visa is piloting stablecoin payouts directly on-chain, and EIP-7702 infrastructure is finally going live to eliminate biometric authentication seed phrases via Face ID. The user experience gap that once held ETH back has officially closed. This is the moment ETH is positioning itself as the most secure and liquid on-chain neobank financial platform in the world, and why the $3,500 breakout attempt will feel obvious. Featured image from Pexels, chart from Tradingview.com
The total crypto market rallied this week, hovering around $3.23 trillion at press time. The extreme fear of a potential crypto bear market experienced during the fourth quarter has significantly reduced, with CoinMarketCap’s Fear and Greed Index hovering around 50/100, representing traders’ neutral position. Top 3 Crypto Events This Week To Consider Bitcoin Bullish Breakout …
Ethereum is showing bullish technical strength, with momentum indicators beginning to tilt back in favor of buyers. After weeks of uneven price action, the ETH/USD chart on the 3-day timeframe is now printing a MACD bullish crossover, a signal that has preceded some of Ethereum’s rallies in the past. The setup is notable because it proposes a situation where Ethereum is laying the groundwork for another sustained rally that plays throughout the entirety of 2026. Bullish MACD Crossover For Ethereum The latest analysis shared by Javon Marks points to Ethereum climbing steadily following another MACD bullish crossover in December 2025. This bullish crossover is visible on the 3-day chart, where the MACD line crossed above the signal line from below. Related Reading: Ethereum Chart Turns Bullish: New Cycle Energy Points To $5,000 This is a change that shows downside momentum has faded and bullish pressure is starting to rebuild among Ethereum traders. At the time of writing, Ethereum is trading around the $3,300 region, about 33% below its August 2025 peak, but holding above swing lows in November 2025. According to Javon Marks, this recent price action is potentially the early stages of a much larger bull wave. This projection is based on the fact that the current crossover looks like an earlier crossover that occurred before Ethereum transitioned into an extended upside move in early 2025. Back in April 2025, the 3-day MACD also recorded a bullish crossover after an extended period of consolidation and pullbacks that lasted for a few months. That signal was the start of a multi-month rally that steadily pushed Ethereum higher, eventually culminating in a new all-time high in August 2025. Price action following that April crossover did not explode immediately. Ethereum first stabilized for a few days, then began forming higher lows above $1,500. Once resistance at $2,000 gave way, the rally gained much momentum and carried Ethereum from the mid-$2,000 range all the way above $4,800, broke above its old record of $4,878 that had stood since Nov. 2021, before finally peaking at $4,946 in late August. Price Targets To Look Forward To The final message of this technical analysis is that Ethereum is about to embark on a comparable rally and break out to new all-time highs. According to the updated outlook by Javon Marks, the first major level that defines this potential continuation is $4,811.71. This price acted as an important resistance level during the previous rally in 2025. Related Reading: Ethereum Enters Overbought Levels With Weekend Pump, Why A Crash Could Be Coming A decisive break and sustained hold above $4,811.71 would confirm that Ethereum has exited its corrective phase and re-entered into a broader expansion move. If that breakout unfolds as expected, the measured move projected from the chart points to $8,557.68 as a target to look forward to. This target is based on the magnitude of Ethereum’s last MACD-driven advance and would translate to a 160% increase from current price levels. Featured image from iStock, chart from Tradingview.com
Buterin said major improvements are underway to make it easier to run a full node, use dapps, and take control over personal data.
ETH price is trading near 0.0345 against BTC, slipping about 0.6% on the day, but the bigger picture shows Ethereum holding a crucial base against Bitcoin. After months of bleeding lower, the pair has shifted into a tighter range, suggesting sellers are losing control. Volume remains steady, pointing to cautious positioning rather than aggressive speculation. …
As Iran’s economy continues to strain under heavy sanctions, high inflation, and a weakening currency, many citizens are turning to crypto as an alternative financial lifeline. Related Reading: Bitcoin Tailwind: Cathie Wood Sees ‘Reaganomics On Steroids’ Ahead Recent blockchain data shows a sharp rise in Bitcoin withdrawals and transfers to personal wallets, particularly during periods of unrest and internet restrictions. For many Iranians, digital assets now serve both as a hedge against currency collapse and a way to move funds beyond government-controlled systems. The Iranian rial has lost around 90% of its value against the U.S. dollar since 2018, while inflation has hovered between 40% and 50%. In response, crypto usage has grown steadily, with Iran’s total cryptocurrency activity reaching an estimated $7.78 billion in 2025, according to Chainalysis. BTC's price trends sideways on the daily chart. Source: BTCUSD on Tradingview Bitcoin Use Rises During Protests and Internet Blackouts Crypto activity surged during mass protests that began in late December 2025, triggered by rising living costs and currency devaluation. As demonstrations spread, authorities imposed internet shutdowns and tightened financial controls. During this period, blockchain data showed higher average daily transaction values and a notable increase in transfers from Iranian exchanges to self-custodied Bitcoin wallets. Smaller withdrawals, often associated with individual users, recorded some of the strongest growth. Medium and large transfers also increased, suggesting that both households and businesses were seeking to move funds out of local platforms. Bitcoin’s appeal lies in its ability to be stored and transferred without relying on domestic banks or state oversight. For Iranians facing restrictions on access to cash, foreign currency, or international transfers, crypto offers a way to preserve value and maintain some financial mobility. Crypto’s Dual Role: Citizens and State Actors While ordinary Iranians are using cryptocurrencies to protect savings, state-linked actors are also active in the digital asset space. Wallets associated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) accounted for more than half of the country’s crypto transaction value in the final quarter of 2025. These wallets received over $3 billion during the year, up from around $2 billion in 2024. Western authorities believe the IRGC uses cryptocurrencies to bypass sanctions, move funds across borders, and support regional operations. Chainalysis notes that these figures likely underestimate the true scale, as many affiliated wallets and networks remain unidentified. At the same time, spikes in Iranian crypto activity have closely followed major political and security events, including the Kerman bombings in 2024, missile strikes in October 2024, and a 12-day conflict in June 2025 that disrupted Iran’s largest crypto exchange and a major state bank. A Growing Dependence on Digital Assets For many Iranians, cryptos have become more than a speculative asset. They are increasingly used as a tool for financial survival in an economy marked by inflation, sanctions, and limited access to global markets. Bitcoin’s censorship resistance and portability make it especially attractive during periods of unrest or capital controls. Related Reading: XRP In A ‘Super Cycle’? SuperTrend Suggests Another Story As economic pressures persist and geopolitical tensions remain high, blockchain analysts expect crypto usage in Iran to continue rising. Whether as a means of preserving personal wealth or navigating sanctions, digital assets are now a central part of Iran’s financial landscape. Cover image from ChatGPT, BTCUSD chart from Tradingview
Ethereum’s on-chain activity has jumped sharply, driven by a wave of first-time users and heavier transaction flow across the network. According to Glassnode, new activity retention roughly doubled this month — rising from about 4 million to around 8 million addresses — a move that points to a fresh cohort of wallets interacting with Ethereum rather than just repeat users. Related Reading: Bitcoin’s New Power Buyers: Companies Bought 3 Times What Miners Produced Surge In New Users Daily transactions hit a record high of 2.8 million on Thursday, a figure that is up 125% from the same period last year. Based on reports from Etherscan, active addresses have more than doubled year-over-year, moving from roughly 410,000 accounts to over 1 million as of Jan. 15. Those numbers suggest real, broad-based engagement is increasing, not merely short-lived spikes. Ethereum’s Month-over-Month Activity Retention shows a sharp spike in the “New” cohort, indicating a surge in first-time interacting addresses over the past 30 days. This reflects a notable influx of new wallets engaging with the Ethereum network, rather than activity being… pic.twitter.com/h8Zw7hXOSX — glassnode (@glassnode) January 15, 2026 Transaction Boom And L2 Effects Observers link the transaction growth in part to rising stablecoin activity and lower fees. Reports have disclosed that many transfers are migrating execution to Layer 2 networks while settlement stays on Ethereum’s main chain, which keeps finality secure and helps push down gas costs. Staking has also climbed, reaching nearly 36 million ETH, adding another layer to the network’s tightening supply dynamics. At the same time, market behavior remains careful. Strength in US equities has helped stabilize crypto prices, yet money flowing into Ethereum looks selective rather than broad. It seems that positioning is rather conservative; traders prefer waiting for more accurate signals regarding ETH prices instead of attempting to predict a breakout. In turn, ETH is consolidating around a correction, but there is not enough momentum-driven buying. Analyst Views & Price Movement There were also those who cited optimism based on improvements to on-chain fundamentals. For instance, LVRG Research reported that the increasing number of transactions and staking activities encouraged a positive network. Some traders argue the compression in price action could precede a breakout. Ether traded near a two-month high of $3,400 on Wednesday and was around $3,300 in early trading on Friday, reflecting the tug of war between renewed demand and persistent caution. Despite the stronger metrics, technical hurdles remain. Reports and recent analysis suggest the market is in a repair phase, not a confirmed uptrend. Overhead supply still constrains sustained advances, and many market participants want to see ETH reclaim key long-term resistance levels, such as the 200-day EMA, before committing large-scale capital. That explains why short-term traders operate inside a defined range while longer-term players hold back. Related Reading: Ethereum Staking Hits Record Levels As Buterin Urges Builders To Deliver Real Apps What This Means For Traders And Investors Network health has improved materially — more users, more transactions, and higher staking — but price action has not yet matched those gains. Based on the data presented, cautious optimism is reasonable. Traders may find chance to trade the range, while investors looking for conviction should wait for cleaner technical confirmation before assuming a sustained rally. Featured image from Blockzeit/EthBurn, chart from TradingView
According to Wintermute’s 2025 Digital Asset OTC Markets report, altcoin rallies last year were much shorter than traders expected, averaging about 19–20 days. That is a steep drop from the roughly 60-day runs seen in 2024. Market flows tightened, and many smaller tokens saw gains vanish faster than before. The result: capital moved back into the big names — Bitcoin and Ethereum — where liquidity is deeper. Related Reading: Bitcoin’s New Power Buyers: Companies Bought 3 Times What Miners Produced Altcoin Open Interest Drops Based on reports, one key trigger was a sharp deleveraging on October 10, 2025, which pushed retail traders to reduce risk and rotate out of smaller tokens. Open interest in many altcoin futures contracts fell, with some coverage noting about a 55% decline in altcoin futures open interest since October. Trading desks said lower liquidity made it harder for rallies to keep going beyond a few weeks, turning what used to be multi-month moves into short bursts. Major Coins Reclaimed Center Stage Institutional flows and product structures played a role. Reports have disclosed that ETFs and other institutional channels helped funnel funds toward Bitcoin and Ethereum. As a result, the market’s attention narrowed. Where narratives once pushed dozens of tokens into rallies, more capital was now concentrated in the top tier. Traders say they preferred assets where orders could be filled without dramatically moving the price. Short, Intense Moves Replaced Long Trends Wintermute’s analysis points to a change in how momentum forms. Rally drivers became more tactical and less about broad, lasting narratives. In practice, that meant memecoin pumps and exchange-themed rallies burned out quickly. Some traders described these moves as hair-trigger events: quick upswings followed by equally rapid retracements. Liquidity bands tightened and stops were hit sooner than in past cycles. What Traders And Firms Are Watching Market participants say the path to a sustained altcoin season now requires a few things aligning. Reports indicate renewed retail interest, clearer institutional support for smaller tokens, and calmer macro markets could help. Otherwise, rallies are likely to remain short. Execution desks reported that when big buyers reappeared for a token, it could run fast, but keeping that momentum proved difficult without deeper market participation. Related Reading: Futures Frenzy Pushed Crypto Exchange Volume To Nearly $80 Trillion In 2025 Outlook For 2026 Based on the report and market commentary, a broader crypto rebound in 2026 depends on several moving parts: interest from institutions, shifts in macro rates, and retail returning to risk-on strategies. If those elements arrive, rallies might last longer than the 19–20 day average seen in 2025. If not, traders say the pattern of quick, sharp moves into the majors will continue. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView
According to ValidatorQueue data, staked Ethereum has climbed to close to 36 million, equal to nearly 30% of the circulating supply. That figure now represents more than $119 billion at current prices. Staking rose from 35.5 million to almost 36 million since early January, even though ETH has fallen more than 30% since August. Related Reading: Futures Frenzy Pushed Crypto Exchange Volume To Nearly $80 Trillion In 2025 The unstaking queue is zero, while the staking queue topped 2.5 million ETH — its highest level since August 2023. Based on reports, those moves point to strong long-term bets on the network. Ethereum Staking Shows Strong Conviction Institutional interest helped push the numbers higher. Publicly listed Digital Asset Treasuries and big staking services are said to be among the active participants. Some of the latest increases came during a stretch that had been mostly flat since last August. Market watchers say that rising stakes add to the protocol’s security profile, and the large queue suggests demand for on-chain commitments remains high even with price weakness. Buterin Says Infrastructure Is Ready Meanwhile, reports have disclosed that Ethereum’s founder, Vitalik Buterin, has urged builders to stop experimenting only in theory and start shipping real products. He has argued that the technical pieces are finally functional: the chain runs on proof of stake, transaction costs are lower, and scaling through ZK-EVMs and Layer 2s is working. Messaging that began with Whisper has been adapted into Waku, and apps such as Status and Railway were cited as examples that already use these systems. In 2014, there was a vision: you can have permissionless, decentralized applications that could support finance, social media, ride sharing, governing organizations, crowdfunding, potentially create an entire alternative web, all on the backs of a suite of technologies.… pic.twitter.com/ihU9qOrXfG — vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) January 14, 2026 He used the term “walkaway test” to describe a simple check: if a decentralized app’s operator disappears, can the data and functionality remain available to users? Fileverse, a decentralized document editor, was pointed to as a case where documents would survive even if the team behind it vanished. Builders Urged To Ship Practical Apps Buterin also criticized the trend toward overly centralized consumer devices and services that lock users into accounts and subscriptions. He warned against appliances that require registration and that may collect data on routine tasks. He contrasted those products with tools that a person truly owns and controls. The message was clear: now that infrastructure is in place, developers should focus on practical software people will actually use, not just experiments that live on testnets. What This Means Going Forward The split between the technical optimism and the market reality is visible. On one side, nearly 36 million ETH staked and a swollen staking queue show investor conviction in the protocol’s future. Related Reading: Bitcoin’s New Power Buyers: Companies Bought 3 Times What Miners Produced On the other, price pressure since August has been real and is still being felt. Reports emphasize that the climb in staked ETH strengthens the network’s security, but the call to build usable, user-friendly apps remains loud. If developers respond by shipping useful products that meet everyday needs, the combination of a secure chain and working applications could push broader adoption. For now, the numbers and the rhetoric are both sending a clear signal: the ingredients exist, and attention is shifting toward turning them into tools people rely on. Featured image from Unsplash, chart from TradingView
Ethereum price started a major increase above the $3,350 resistance. ETH is now consolidating gains and holding the key support at $3,280. Ethereum started a downside correction after a major rally to $3,400. The price is trading above $3,280 and the 100-hourly Simple Moving Average. There is a bullish trend line forming with support at $3,280 on the hourly chart of ETH/USD (data feed via Kraken). The pair could start a fresh increase if it stays above the $3,280 zone. Ethereum Price Hits Support Ethereum price remained stable above $3,300 and started a fresh increase, like Bitcoin. ETH price rallied above the $3,320 and $3,350 resistance levels. A high was formed at $3,402, and the price recently started a downside correction. There was a move below $3,320. The price dipped below the 23.6% Fib retracement level of the recent wave from the $3,060 swing low to the $3,402 high. Ethereum price is now trading above $3,280 and the 100-hourly Simple Moving Average. There is also a bullish trend line forming with support at $3,280 on the hourly chart of ETH/USD. If the bulls can protect more losses below $3,280, the price could attempt another increase. Immediate resistance is seen near the $3,320 level. The first key resistance is near the $3,350 level. The next major resistance is near the $3,385 level. A clear move above the $3,385 resistance might send the price toward the $3,450 resistance. An upside break above the $3,450 region might call for more gains in the coming days. In the stated case, Ether could rise toward the $3,500 resistance zone or even $3,550 in the near term. Downside Break In ETH? If Ethereum fails to clear the $3,320 resistance, it could start a fresh decline. Initial support on the downside is near the $3,280 level and the trend line. The first major support sits near the $3,260 zone and the 100 hourly SMA. A clear move below the $3,260 support might push the price toward the $3,220 support and the 50% Fib retracement level of the recent wave from the $3,060 swing low to the $3,402 high. Any more losses might send the price toward the $3,150 region. Technical Indicators Hourly MACD – The MACD for ETH/USD is losing momentum in the bullish zone. Hourly RSI – The RSI for ETH/USD is now below the 50 zone. Major Support Level – $3,280 Major Resistance Level – $3,385
Keyrock and Dune have published a “12 Charts to Watch in 2026” dashboard that tries to pin next year’s crypto narrative to measurable market structure, where liquidity is forming, where value is being returned, and which rails are quietly becoming systemically important. The report’s premise is straightforward: each chart pairs a live dataset with an explicit 2026 prediction. Taken together, the set reads like a checklist of whether crypto’s core primitives: trading, issuance, payments, and funding are becoming deeper and more institutional in their behavior. 12 Crypto Metrics To Watch This Year Keyrock puts prediction markets near the top of the stack after a 2025 run that saw weekly volume rise 9.2x to just under $5 billion, with Kalshi, Polymarket and Opinion controlling a combined 98.4% share at the time of writing. For 2026, it forecasts a 5x jump versus the 2025 run-rate to $25 billion in weekly volume, and a matching 5x rise in open interest as markets deepen and positions persist longer. Related Reading: Crypto Market Bill Draft Criticized For Allowing Continued Developer Prosecution On tokenization, the chart tracks non-stablecoin onchain RWA AUM, explicitly excluding stablecoins to isolate whether capital markets assets are moving onchain. Keyrock says non-stablecoin RWA AUM grew 3.4x in 2025 and projects more than 4x growth in 2026, led by tokenized cash-like products (T-bills and money market funds) and private credit, with early signs of equities and ETFs as market structure and regulation mature. A third adoption vector is x402, which Keyrock describes as an open payments protocol pioneered by Coinbase in 2025 to let software, including AI agents pay for digital services using stablecoins. Its measurable call: weekly x402 volume exceeding $100 million in 2026, framed as a proxy for “machine-native commerce” showing up in production. For onchain asset management, Keyrock tracks vault AUM across major providers and argues 2025 was about product maturity; 2026 is positioned as distribution. Its headline forecast is vault AUM tripling to $36 billion before year-end, alongside a prediction that at least one major broker-dealer offers an onchain vault “yield shelf.” Related Reading: New Hope For Crypto: Senators Introduce Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act Derivatives are treated as the clearest stress test for depth. Keyrock highlights how the DEX-to-CEX futures trading ratio grew more than 3x in 2025, from 6.34% to 21%, and says open interest—not volume—is the key signal for whether venues can “hold risk in size” as new asset classes migrate onchain. The 2026 target: onchain perp OI exceeding $50 billion. Value return is monitored via buybacks. The report notes multi-million-dollar programs in 2025 from Hyperliquid, Raydium and Pump.fun, and predicts weekly buyback spend reaches at least 2x 2025 levels, plus a shift away from “fixed percentage of fees” models toward “value-aware” execution (pacing bands, triggers, disciplined accumulation). Solana MEV is framed as a distribution problem as much as a trading one. Keyrock notes tip-based MEV (validator + Jito tips) fell from a peak of 100,000 SOL (about $25 million at the time) to a low of 1,000 SOL (about $139,000), then points to the Block Assembly Marketplace (BAM) as the mechanism that could reshape where MEV is captured, away from reflexive tip spikes and toward explicit execution pricing set by apps and venues. Moreover, Keyrock uses “shielded ZEC” as a privacy proxy and forecasts shielded deposits rising from 4.9 million to more than 7 million by end-2026. On Ethereum, it tracks whether blobs develop a meaningful fee floor and predicts a median hourly blob cost of at least $0.05 per blob on a full-year basis. Payments show up in consumer form via crypto card spend, with the report forecasting a $500 million monthly spend print at least once in 2026. TradFi integration is tracked via spot BTC ETF AUM, with Keyrock projecting holdings surpass 2.5 million BTC in 2026 and net inflows positive in at least eight months. Finally, the stablecoin funding chart anchors on Aave’s USDC variable borrow APY on Ethereum, which it says ranged from 2.4% to 9.8% in 2025. The forward-looking claim is about rate stability rather than level: a drop in 30-day rolling volatility of USDC borrow APY to an average below 0.25 versus roughly 0.40 in 2025—positioned as a prerequisite for longer-duration, institution-style strategies. At press time, the total crypto market cap stood at $3.25 trillion. Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com
The integration is powered by Zerohash, a B2B crypto and stablecoin infrastructure provider backed by Interactive Brokers.
Ethereum is back to trading just above $3,300 per ETH in a slow bullish extension over the past week. After months of wide swings and failed follow-throughs above $3,000, the structure on the monthly timeframe chart is beginning to look bullish in a way that traders should take seriously. A recent technical breakdown shared by Merlijn The Trader on X shows that Ethereum is approaching a moment where consolidation could give way to forceful expansion, with $5,000 as the most important inflection point. Bullish Pennant Says Bullish Momentum About To Be Unlocked The chart showing the technical analysis from Merlijn shows a bullish pennant forming on Ethereum’s monthly timeframe. This bullish pennant shows that price action has been compressing between a rising support line and a descending resistance line, and this has created a narrowing structure since 2021. Related Reading: Here’s Why The Bitcoin, Ethereum, And Dogecoin Prices Are Surging Today Ethereum briefly pushed above the upper boundary of this pennant in 2025, rallying to just under the $5,000 mark before momentum faded and corrective moves followed. Since then, price action appears to be gravitating back toward the former resistance line, now acting as a key area of interest. As it stands, Ethereum is now retesting the upper trendline of this bullish pennant for a final upward move. Based on this projection, the first major barrier for Ethereum to break is around $3,300. A clean break above that level would likely open a path toward $3,600, an area that previously acted as a turning point during past rallies. The most consequential zone, however, is around the August 2025 all-time high of $5,000. A break above this zone would unlock bullish momentum based on the bullish pennant and play out in the majority of 2026. How Can This Breakout Play Out? Merlijn’s chart doesn’t stop at the breakout trigger once it breaks above the upper trendline of the pennant. It sketches a full road map for how the move could unfold once Ethereum leaves the pennant. The first step in that projection is a push above $3,600 before a more meaningful test around $5,000. Once Ethereum is able to break above $5,000, then the door is open for new price highs. Related Reading: Why The Ethereum Price Could Bounce Above $3,500 Soon However, the breakout is expected to come with volatility and retests, not a straight line upward, but still resolves higher if the pennant thesis holds. From $5,000, the projection turns into a two-stage expansion. The first stage shows a force move, where Ethereum goes on a rally to as high as $6,000, then chops through another sharp dip to $4,000 and another recovery sequence before the larger leg higher. The larger leg, higher projected on the chart, points to $8,400 as the final price target zone for Ethereum. Featured image from Getty Images, chart from Tradingview.com
Market expert Bird has recently issued a bold forecast for XRP, the fifth-largest cryptocurrency, suggesting that it could experience a major upside of 800% within this year. If this prediction holds true, XRP could reach a new all-time high of $18.40 per coin. Forecast Indicates XRP Might Rival Ethereum Bird’s forecast hinges on the XRP/BTC ratio, which he predicts will reach 1:5,000 by the end of 2026. This means that 5,000 XRP would be equivalent to 1 Bitcoin (BTC). Currently, the XRP/BTC ratio trades at approximately 0.00002235. Related Reading: Crypto Market Bill Draft Criticized For Allowing Continued Developer Prosecution For Bird’s envisioned target to materialize, the ratio must increase to 0.0002 BTC per token, representing a substantial gain of around 794% from current levels. With a total supply of 100 billion coins, this price projection implies an overall valuation of approximately $1.84 trillion for XRP. Such a figure would place the cryptocurrency in close competition with Ethereum—and striking distance of Bitcoin’s market cap. Additional Price Scenarios For The Altcoin Market expert Sam Daodu also outlined alternative scenarios for XRP’s future performance. In a base case, where the altcoin garners continued institutional support but doesn’t close the gap with Bitcoin’s market capitalization, the price could range between $3 and $4. This outcome would depend on exchange traded funds (ETFs) attracting a “few billion in assets” while Bitcoin’s dominance falls to the 40–50% range during a broader altcoin rotation. Related Reading: Zcash Foundation Investigation Closed: SEC Decision Sparks 12% Jump In ZEC Price Conversely, there exists a bear case where macroeconomic challenges or obstacles within the crypto ecosystem could hinder XRP’s price growth. Factors such as geopolitical instability could redirect capital back to Bitcoin and gold, while banks might opt for private ledgers and established stablecoins instead of adopting XRP. Monthly escrow releases from Ripple of 1 billion coins, accompanied by a potential diminishing exchange-traded fund demand, might cap any potential upside action for the cryptocurrency, leaving it to trade around its current trading prices of $2. Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com
The following article is adapted from The Block’s newsletter, The Daily, which comes out on weekday afternoons.
The crypto market is watching Washington closely as uncertainty grows around the proposed CLARITY Act, a US bill meant to finally define how digital assets are regulated. Prices of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and XRP remain relatively stable for now, but analysts warn that volatility could pick up as the political debate heats up. Senate Delays CLARITY …
Ethereum price has been doing what traders want to see on the scoreboard: it’s outpacing Bitcoin from the January lows. Yet the tape still feels heavy. While BTC’s rally looks cleaner, ETH continues to trade like a market that’s not fully convinced but grinding inside a consolidation zone even after a strong bounce. When ETH …