With institutions piling in and TVL surging, the next breakout may just be warming up.
All eyes now on $2,730—will ETH push through, or pause for breath?
While Ethereum moved in a bearish trend during the first half of 2025, it has shown promising signs of recovery over the past month. Notably, a resurgence in institutional investor interest has driven substantial capital inflows into Ethereum—both in the spot market and through ETFs. However, data suggests that retail investors remain on the sidelines. This divergence may be a strong signal that any potential rally is still in its early stages.
According to CoinShares’ latest report, institutional inflows into crypto investment products have reached $10.8 billion since the start of 2024—a record high. While 88% of these flows have gone into Bitcoin, Ethereum has also seen a meaningful rise in inflows. Spot Ethereum ETFs recorded net inflows of $248 million last week alone. The largest contributor was BlackRock iShares Ethereum Trust ETF (ETHA). This data clearly underscores institutional confidence in Ethereum.
Early May saw a notable surge in the Ethereum market, breaking past the $2,000 threshold. During the first half of the month, strong buying activity countered selling pressure, leading to a more balanced market structure in the second half. The recovery that began after breaking through $1,850 extended to the $2,700 range—demonstrating buyer dominance. The strong spot market volume confirms this trend.
Blockchain data also indicates that large holders are expanding their positions. Since early March, wallets holding 102 million ETH have grown by 1.5%, now totaling 103.5 million ETH. This pattern of accumulation typically reflects long-term bullish expectations.
Ethereum’s core metrics also suggest robust underlying strength. Over the last 30 days, Ethereum’s total value locked (TVL) has surged by 26%, reaching over $132 billion. In addition, Ethereum continues to lead the industry with a bridged TVL of $408 billion. For comparison: Solana stands at $22.5 billion, and BSC trails with just $9.3 billion.
This increase points not only to rising price confidence but also growing trust in Ethereum-based DeFi, NFT platforms, and enterprise applications.
Ethereum’s current outlook is supported by strong institutional demand, positive technical indicators, and ongoing consolidation of its ecosystem. The ETH price is being sustained by a solid base of buyers despite recent consolidation. However, the lack of participation from retail investors suggests that the uptrend could still be in an early phase. If retail demand starts to mirror institutional enthusiasm, Ethereum could see greater momentum and potentially test new highs in the medium to long term.
Ethereum began trading sideways after reaching the $2,700 level in mid-May. During this period, buyers successfully defended the $2,430 support zone, and downside moves have been limited. The consolidation between $2,430 and $2,730 aligns with Fibonacci levels based on the Q1 decline, suggesting a potential breakout from this range is likely.
ETH recently tested the $2,430 support level before turning moderately upward. In the short term, Ethereum continues to trade within a defined channel, with intermediate support at $2,560. Meanwhile, both short- and medium-term exponential moving averages (EMAs) remain in a bullish configuration, and ETH continues to trade above these averages. As a result, Ethereum may re-test the $2,730 resistance level this week. This is further supported by the Stochastic RSI, which has reset during the recent sideways movement and is now signaling a potential upward move.
If ETH achieves a daily close above $2,730 in a resistance breakout, the next targets could be $3,020 followed by $3,500. Historically, the $3,000–$3,500 range has acted as a strong resistance zone.
