Recent Price Movements

- Ethereum's price surged over 20% after President Trump announced a US-UK trade agreement, reclaiming the $2,000 psychological level.

- The price growth is closely aligned with Bitcoin's, which crossed the $100,000 mark for the first time since February 7.

- Ethereum's current price is around $2,200, with potential resistance near the $2,250 level ¹.

Pectra Upgrade

- The Pectra upgrade went live on the Ethereum mainnet on May 7, introducing several features to improve wallet functionality and network efficiency.

- The upgrade is expected to make Ethereum more attractive to institutional participants, with some analysts predicting a growing number of long positions.

- Developers are now working towards launching the next upgrade, Fusaka, by the end of the year ¹ ².

Market Trends

- Ethereum's stablecoin market capitalization has risen to $124.5 billion, giving Ethereum 52% of digital-dollar liquidity via USDT.

- Institutions such as Mastercard and Stripe have integrated these rails, and the coming EIP-7251 upgrade promises larger validator stakes and greater efficiency.

- Long-term Ethereum holders have increased their balances by 22.5% since March, signaling strong bullish conviction despite recent price corrections ³.

Other Developments

- Vitalik Buterin has proposed a major overhaul of the Ethereum base layer, aiming to simplify the protocol's architecture for improved security, scalability, and long-term sustainability.

- The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has approved listing and trading options on some spot ETH exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

- Ethereum's transaction fees have crashed to their lowest level in five years, at $0.168 per transaction, potentially paving the way for mass adoption ³.