Ethereum shows slow movements following criticism of issuance curve article by developer
|- Ethereum's price has been consolidating since the recent crypto market correction weakened the bullish sentiments of traders.
- Coinbase analysts have warned of the risks that restaking protocols carry.
- Ethereum Foundation developers have been the target of criticism after a recent article on ETH's issuance curve.
Ethereum's price has been consolidating on Wednesday following its recent crash. The recent price movement follows Coinbase analysts raising concerns about "hidden risks" in restaking protocols and criticism labeled at the Ethereum Foundation after an article recommending adjustments to the ETH issuance curve.
Also read: Ethereum drops further as Bitcoin’s decline, uncertainty over ETF weigh
Daily digest market movers: Coinbase says restaking introduces risks to Ethereum amid criticisms at developers
Ethereum (ETH) has seen over $84 million in liquidations in the past 24 hours. As ETH price cools off, several interesting factors are playing out within its ecosystem:
- Coinbase analysts David Duong and David Han highlighted the hidden risks in liquid restaking protocols and their tokens in a research report released on April 2. These protocols became popular following the launch of the Eigenlayer restaking protocol on Ethereum.
- Eigenlayer allows protocols to maximize yields through a restaking process where users receive extra yields in liquid restaking tokens (LRTs) for restaking the derivative tokens they earned from staking Ethereum in protocols like Lido Finance. This is similar to repurposing collateral from a DeFi loan to earn extra yields on other protocols.
- The analysts warned that while leveraging staked tokens in several protocols at the same time earns good yields, "it can also compound risks" from a financial and security perspective. They noted that pursuing capital efficiency may expose restakers to high risk. "LRTs may be incentivized to maximize their yields to gain market share, but these could come at the cost of a higher (albeit hidden) risk profile," Coinbase analysts said.
- The analysts also noted that LRT DAOs may expose themselves to too many risks as the restaking structure incentivizes them to "maximally restake multiple times to remain competitive." This follows a jump in the total value locked (TVL) of restaking protocols like Etherfi, Renzo, Kelp, etc.
- Some members of the crypto community have also labeled criticisms at Ethereum developers after a recent document published on March 30 by Ethereum Foundation researcher Michael Neuder proposed a change in the issuance curve of the largest altcoin.
- Eric Conner, co-author of the Ethereum Improvement Proposal 1559 (EIP-1559), said in an X post on March 30, "The current push to tweak it is a completely over reaction to centralization concerns that are unfounded." He added, "I'll fight this idea with anything I have."
- Another X user made similar remarks voicing against Ethereum's monetary policy being tampered every year. Meanwhile, community member @post_polar_ also took to X, saying Ethereum developers appear to have "an outsized power" and aren't engaging "the wider set of stakeholders." However, Ethereum developer Tim Beiko responded to his criticism in another X post saying that this polemic is engaging.
- The US Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed Fidelity’s Ethereum ETF application on Tuesday but Bloomberg analyst James Seyffart said in an X post that this doesn’t improve the odds of an approval. He also mentioned that “silence from the SEC isn’t a good thing.”
Read more: Ethereum consolidates above $3,500 as Bitwise CIO says ETF delay would be positive
Technical analysis: ETH bulls show weak hands
Ethereum price is yet to recover losses incurred from its sharp decline on Monday. Current price movements indicate uncertainty after the decline weakened bullish sentiments.
However, ETH could rise to around $3,493 to fill up liquidity voids from Monday's sharp decline. If Bitcoin’s price also recovers, ETH's price could resume bullish momentum and target $3,517.42, $3,570.58, and $3,655.32.
ETH/USDT 1-hour chart
Also read: US Dollar strength could be one of the reasons why Bitcoin could crash more
This thesis would be invalidated if the bears prevail to send its price below the $3,204.54 support.
Bitcoin, altcoins, stablecoins FAQs
Bitcoin is the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, a virtual currency designed to serve as money. This form of payment cannot be controlled by any one person, group, or entity, which eliminates the need for third-party participation during financial transactions.
Altcoins are any cryptocurrency apart from Bitcoin, but some also regard Ethereum as a non-altcoin because it is from these two cryptocurrencies that forking happens. If this is true, then Litecoin is the first altcoin, forked from the Bitcoin protocol and, therefore, an “improved” version of it.
Stablecoins are cryptocurrencies designed to have a stable price, with their value backed by a reserve of the asset it represents. To achieve this, the value of any one stablecoin is pegged to a commodity or financial instrument, such as the US Dollar (USD), with its supply regulated by an algorithm or demand. The main goal of stablecoins is to provide an on/off-ramp for investors willing to trade and invest in cryptocurrencies. Stablecoins also allow investors to store value since cryptocurrencies, in general, are subject to volatility.
Bitcoin dominance is the ratio of Bitcoin's market capitalization to the total market capitalization of all cryptocurrencies combined. It provides a clear picture of Bitcoin’s interest among investors. A high BTC dominance typically happens before and during a bull run, in which investors resort to investing in relatively stable and high market capitalization cryptocurrency like Bitcoin. A drop in BTC dominance usually means that investors are moving their capital and/or profits to altcoins in a quest for higher returns, which usually triggers an explosion of altcoin rallies.
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