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Ethereum has maintained a position above $2,500 following a mild retracement from its recent high above $2,700 last week. At the time of writing, the asset trades at $2,564, reflecting a 2.4% increase in the past 24 hours.
While the broader crypto market remains in a bullish structure, largely driven by Bitcoin’s sharp upward movement, Ethereum’s relative momentum appears more tempered, raising questions among traders and analysts about its current positioning.
Retail Quiet, Institutions Watchful
Despite the price remaining above key levels, some analysts believe Ethereum has yet to fully capture the broader market’s enthusiasm. One such observation was presented by CryptoQuant’s analyst Burak Kesmeci, who noted that retail activity around Ethereum remains low compared to previous cycles.
This could suggest that Ethereum’s rally is still in its early stages, with potential upside left unpriced by the market. The absence of retail enthusiasm, which historically coincided with local tops, may signal that Ethereum has not yet reached a peak for this cycle.
Kesmeci’s analysis highlighted a notable shift in retail engagement around Ethereum. Drawing comparisons to the 2021 bull run, the analyst pointed out that earlier rallies were often accompanied by sharp spikes in retail trading frequency.
However, during the current cycle, retail interest has been largely muted, even as Bitcoin surged from $16,000 to over $111,000. While ETH saw a brief uptick in retail activity in December 2024, that momentum faded quickly amid broader market reactions to geopolitical developments, including renewed tariff tensions.
The analyst concluded that the market may still be in a phase of accumulation, as the typical retail-driven euphoria has yet to materialize. In this scenario, Ethereum could benefit from increased participation in the coming months, particularly if macroeconomic sentiment stabilizes. The potential for delayed retail entry suggests that Ethereum’s current rally might only be at its midpoint rather than nearing a local top.
Ethereum Technical Setups Suggest Bullish Continuation
On the technical front, several market analysts continue to hold a positive outlook for ETH. A pseudonymous analyst known as Crypto Busy posted on X that the asset’s monthly chart remains structurally intact, referencing a previous key resistance level near $1,410.
According to the post, Ethereum’s breakout above this long-standing barrier has turned it into support, replicating a setup that historically preceded major rallies. Further reinforcing this perspective, analyst Michaël van de Poppe emphasized the importance of Ethereum’s price action near the $2,400 level.
He noted that this zone offered a strong buying opportunity and believes that if Ethereum can successfully retest and hold above this threshold, a move toward $3,000 could follow. According to van de Poppe, such a breakout would signal the beginning of a new bullish phase for ETH.
Featured image created with DALL-E, Chart from TradingView
