Surprise ETH price drop below $2.5K raises questions about Ethereum fundamentals

As a seasoned crypto investor with over five years of experience navigating the digital asset landscape, I find myself somewhat disheartened by the recent performance of Ether (ETH). After witnessing the spectacular rally that saw ETH touch an all-time high of $4,300 in May, it’s disappointing to see a decline of 6% over the past 30 days.


Between October 20th and October 23rd, the price of Ether (ETH) dropped approximately 9.6%, after facing a strong resistance at around $2,700. This decline wiped out the gains accumulated over the past ten days, and as of now, Ether is hovering around $2,500. Consequently, its performance over the past 30 days remains in the red, with a loss of about 6%.

The likelihood of Ethereum regaining its $2,800 support level is decreasing, as on-chain data indicates that high transaction costs are driving activity off the Ethereum network. This reduction in activity could be leading to a decrease in demand for native staking.

Surprise ETH price drop below $2.5K raises questions about Ethereum fundamentals

A significant portion of Ether’s recent downturn might be linked to a 5% decrease in the total value of all cryptocurrencies over a two-day span, ending on Oct. 23. Yet, the overall market index has risen by 1.9% over the last month, suggesting that Ether has fallen short compared to the market by about 8% during this timeframe. This underperformance could be one reason for the subdued enthusiasm among Ether investors.

Ethereum network congestion and the lack of a clear solution

Even though high Ethereum transaction fees averaging $4 during the past fortnight might indicate active on-chain usage, it also makes alternative blockchains with cheaper services more attractive. This problem is more pronounced for small-scale applications, as large investors or whales engaged in arbitrage are less affected by this issue.

Over the last week, the Solana network saw trading volume of approximately $13.4 billion, representing a 67% increase compared to Ethereum’s activity within the same timeframe. Notably, this difference has grown substantially, as both networks previously exhibited similar volumes prior to October.

Surprise ETH price drop below $2.5K raises questions about Ethereum fundamentals

Over the seven days up to October 23rd, it’s worth noting that the trading volumes on Ethereum-based Decentralized Exchanges (DEX) dropped by approximately 13%. This decrease occurred even as the overall market experienced a surge in momentum. Specifically, two popular platforms, Uniswap and Curve Finance, witnessed a drop of around 18% in activity on the Ethereum network during this period.

As an analyst, I’ve observed a less-than-satisfactory performance in Ethereum when it comes to Total Value Locked (TVL). Currently, the TVL stands at approximately 18.2 million Ether, representing a 5% decrease compared to what it was one month ago.

Surprise ETH price drop below $2.5K raises questions about Ethereum fundamentals

A decline in the amount of Ether deposited is typically seen as unfavorable for Ethereum‘s market trends, especially since validators have been withdrawing their staked Ether. As a matter of fact, according to Staking Rewards statistics, the Ethereum network recorded a net withdrawal of approximately 191,000 ETH over the 30 days leading up to October 23, equating to around $492 million at present prices.

Looking at the blockchain world, Ethereum appears to be losing some traction compared to rival networks. For instance, Solana’s Total Value Locked (TVL) grew by 12% in SOL terms within the last month, while deposits on BNB Chain have remained steady over the same period. Additionally, investors are growing less optimistic about Ethereum’s future price due to the uncertainties surrounding the upcoming Prague-Electra upgrade.

The Prague-Electra update, originally scheduled for Q1 2025, primarily focuses on enhancing scalability. This includes implementing Verkle trees to minimize storage requirements for nodes and EIP-7251 to boost validator efficiency. Yet, there are worries about possible delays and doubts if these adjustments will effectively tackle the network’s congestion problems, which significantly impact Ether’s potential for long-term growth.

In this post, we’re sharing information meant for a broad understanding, not as legal or financial guidance. Remember, any perspectives, ideas, or opinions shared by the author may not align with those held by CryptoMoon.

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2024-10-24 00:32