$ETH ETH**

Ethereum continues to showcase its strength as the leading smart contract platform, with recent developments driving both price action and ecosystem growth. The much-anticipated Dencun upgrade successfully went live, introducing proto-danksharding (EIP-4844) to significantly reduce layer-2 transaction fees. This technical milestone has already boosted activity across Ethereum's scaling solutions like Arbitrum and Optimism. Meanwhile, ETH's price has been consolidating between $3,000 and $3,500, with on-chain data showing strong accumulation by long-term holders despite market volatility. The upcoming spot Ethereum ETF decisions could serve as the next major catalyst, potentially mirroring Bitcoin's institutional adoption trajectory. DeFi metrics also remain healthy, with Total Value Locked (TVL) holding steady above $50 billion. As Ethereum cements its position as the backbone of Web3, its fundamentals appear stronger than