• Ethereum community members favor term 'programmable money' as its new slogan before the approval of ETF S-1 applications.
  • Santiment analyst expects Ethereum to continue outperforming Bitcoin following sustained whale accumulation.
  • Ethereum bulls seem to be stepping on the brakes as they await more clarity on S-1 applications.

Ethereum (ETH) followed a sideways trend on Tuesday as the crypto community seems to favor the term 'programmable money' as ETH's one-liner. Meanwhile, whales have continued accumulating ETH despite profiting from the recent price spike.

Also read: Ethereum may shoot past $4,000 as Michael Saylor believes spot ETH ETF will help Bitcoin

Daily digest market movers: Programmable money & whale accumulation

Ethereum's recent momentum is slowing down as ETF hype appears to be on hold. Here are the latest updates surrounding the largest altcoin:

  • Following the approval of spot ETH ETFs, Bloomberg analyst Eric Balchunas suggested that Ethereum needs a simple one-liner like Bitcoin's "digital gold" narrative to penetrate the boomer world. In an X post on Tuesday, he conducted a poll with the top 3 suggestions from the crypto community:
    Digital oil
    Programmable money
    World computer

    At the time of writing, programmable money leads the poll with over 50% support.

    In response to questions about when the SEC will approve spot ETH ETF S-1 applications, Nate Geraci, President of the ETF Store, said, "Nobody knows for sure." However, he speculated that the registration may happen within the next few weeks or at a maximum of two to three months.

Read more: Ethereum price yet to react to ETF approval, experts share reason for SEC's change of mind

  • In a recent analysis, Santiment analyst @brianq noted that Ethereum whales (wallets with at least 10,000 ETH) have accumulated about 21.39 million ETH in the past 14 months, i.e., 27% more than their initial holdings. @brianq suggested that this is a promising sign as it indicates ETH's price has the potential to continue rising.
    ETH whale activity
    ETH whale activity
     
  • Several ETH investors earlier complained of its poor price performance compared to Bitcoin in the past few months. However, the rumors and eventual approval of spot ETH ETF 19b-4 filings helped the largest altcoin outperform Bitcoin in the past month. While whale activity spiking around the same time indicates profit taking, ETH "prices may continue to outperform Bitcoin as long as these 10K+ ETH wallets are still moving north instead of south through this volatility," said @brianq.

ETH technical analysis: Ethereum bulls halt momentum

Ethereum is trading around $3,837 on Tuesday as it enters a sideways movement. While current price movement suggests bulls may be running out of steam, it may also indicate a temporary slowdown until the market receives clarity on conversations surrounding the spot ETH ETF S-1 approvals.

Also read: Ethereum on the brink of 75% rally as SEC approves ETH ETFs

ETH needs a catalyst to break past the $4,000 key level, and that may come from optimistic updates surrounding the S-1 approval.

ETH/USDT 4-hour chart

ETH/USDT 4-hour chart

The general crypto market is also trending horizontally, meaning the sideways move isn't peculiar to ETH. The $3,605 support level remains key in case of a potential brief bearish trend.

ETH liquidations show long liquidations at $27.99 million and shorts at $6.03 million in the past 24 hours. This also confirms the brief halt in bullish momentum.

Ethereum FAQs

Ethereum is a decentralized open-source blockchain with smart contracts functionality. Serving as the basal network for the Ether (ETH) cryptocurrency, it is the second largest crypto and largest altcoin by market capitalization. The Ethereum network is tailored for scalability, programmability, security, and decentralization, attributes that make it popular among developers.

Ethereum uses decentralized blockchain technology, where developers can build and deploy applications that are independent of the central authority. To make this easier, the network has a programming language in place, which helps users create self-executing smart contracts. A smart contract is basically a code that can be verified and allows inter-user transactions.

Staking is a process where investors grow their portfolios by locking their assets for a specified duration instead of selling them. It is used by most blockchains, especially the ones that employ Proof-of-Stake (PoS) mechanism, with users earning rewards as an incentive for committing their tokens. For most long-term cryptocurrency holders, staking is a strategy to make passive income from your assets, putting them to work in exchange for reward generation.

Ethereum transitioned from a Proof-of-Work (PoW) to a Proof-of-Stake (PoS) mechanism in an event christened “The Merge.” The transformation came as the network wanted to achieve more security, cut down on energy consumption by 99.95%, and execute new scaling solutions with a possible threshold of 100,000 transactions per second. With PoS, there are less entry barriers for miners considering the reduced energy demands.

 


Information on these pages contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Markets and instruments profiled on this page are for informational purposes only and should not in any way come across as a recommendation to buy or sell in these assets. You should do your own thorough research before making any investment decisions. FXStreet does not in any way guarantee that this information is free from mistakes, errors, or material misstatements. It also does not guarantee that this information is of a timely nature. Investing in Open Markets involves a great deal of risk, including the loss of all or a portion of your investment, as well as emotional distress. All risks, losses and costs associated with investing, including total loss of principal, are your responsibility. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of FXStreet nor its advertisers. The author will not be held responsible for information that is found at the end of links posted on this page.

If not otherwise explicitly mentioned in the body of the article, at the time of writing, the author has no position in any stock mentioned in this article and no business relationship with any company mentioned. The author has not received compensation for writing this article, other than from FXStreet.

FXStreet and the author do not provide personalized recommendations. The author makes no representations as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability of this information. FXStreet and the author will not be liable for any errors, omissions or any losses, injuries or damages arising from this information and its display or use. Errors and omissions excepted.

The author and FXStreet are not registered investment advisors and nothing in this article is intended to be investment advice.

Recommended content


Recommended Content

Editors’ Picks

IRS says crypto staking should be taxed in response to lawsuit

IRS says crypto staking should be taxed in response to lawsuit

The IRS stated that rewards from cryptocurrency staking are taxable upon receipt, according to a Bloomberg report on Monday, which stated the agency rejected a legal argument that sought to delay taxation until such rewards are sold or exchanged.

More Cryptocurrencies News
Solana dominates Bitcoin, Ethereum in price performance and trading volume: Glassnode

Solana dominates Bitcoin, Ethereum in price performance and trading volume: Glassnode

Solana is up 6% on Monday following a Glassnode report indicating that SOL has seen more capital increase than Bitcoin and Ethereum. Despite the large gains suggesting a relatively heated market, SOL could still stretch its growth before establishing a top for the cycle.

More Solana News
Ethereum Price Forecast: ETH risks a decline to $3,000 as investors realize increased profits and losses

Ethereum Price Forecast: ETH risks a decline to $3,000 as investors realize increased profits and losses

Ethereum is up 4% on Monday despite increased selling pressure across long-term and short-term holders in the past two days. If whales fail to maintain their recent buy-the-dip attitude, ETH risks a decline below $3,000.

More Ethereum News
Crypto Today: BTC hits new Trump-era low as Chainlink, HBAR and AAVE lead market recovery

Crypto Today: BTC hits new Trump-era low as Chainlink, HBAR and AAVE lead market recovery

The global cryptocurrency market cap shrank by $500 billion after the Federal Reserve's hawkish statements on December 17. Amid the market crash, Bitcoin price declined 7.2% last week, recording its first weekly timeframe loss since Donald Trump’s re-election. 

More Cryptocurrencies News
Bitcoin: 2025 outlook brightens on expectations of US pro-crypto policy

Bitcoin: 2025 outlook brightens on expectations of US pro-crypto policy

Bitcoin price has surged more than 140% in 2024, reaching the $100K milestone in early December. The rally was driven by the launch of Bitcoin Spot ETFs in January and the reduced supply following the fourth halving event in April.

Read full analysis
Best Forex Brokers with Low Spreads

Best Forex Brokers with Low Spreads

VERIFIED Low spreads are crucial for reducing trading costs. Explore top Forex brokers offering competitive spreads and high leverage. Compare options for EUR/USD, GBP/USD, USD/JPY, and Gold.

Read More

BTC

ETH

XRP