Ethereum’s price is showing impressive resilience, bouncing back from a recent dip and fueling speculation about its next potential milestone. The cryptocurrency surged 11.6% from Dec. 10 to Dec. 12, reclaiming losses and signaling strong investor confidence. But what’s driving ETH’s recovery, and could $4,500 be its next stop?
Key Drivers of Ethereum’s Price Rally
1. Spot ETF Inflows Fueling Demand
From Dec. 9 to Dec. 11, Ether spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) recorded $557 million in net inflows. This surge reflects growing investor interest and optimism surrounding Ethereum’s long-term prospects. While these inflows are more of a symptom of confidence rather than the main catalyst, they played a significant role in ETH’s quick recovery from its $3,550 low.
2. Rising Ethereum Network Activity
Ethereum’s total value locked (TVL) in decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols has climbed significantly, reaching $78 billion on Dec. 12, up 31% from $59.3 billion a month earlier. According to DefiLlama, this growth was driven by increased deposits in protocols like AAVE, EigenLayer, Binance Staking, and others.
In comparison, competitors like BNB Chain and Tron saw smaller TVL increases of 10% and 18%, respectively. Ethereum’s dominance in DeFi, coupled with its layer-2 scaling solutions, which add another $11 billion in deposits, reinforces its position as the market leader.
3. Increased Onchain Activity
Ethereum’s 7-day transaction volumes rose by 21% to $24.3 billion as of Dec. 12. While Solana surpassed Ethereum’s base-layer turnover with $30.7 billion, Ethereum’s combined volumes—including activity from layer-2 blockchains like Arbitrum, Optimism, Polygon, and Base—exceeded $25.6 billion.
Ethereum retains a commanding 47% market share in DApp volumes, outpacing competitors like Solana. Its dominance in key areas such as liquid staking, lending, and synthetic assets further solidifies its leadership in the decentralized applications space.
Bullish Institutional Sentiment
Bitwise Predicts a $7,000 ETH Price
Cryptocurrency ETF provider Bitwise recently issued a bullish report, targeting a $7,000 ETH price. The report cited rising ETF adoption, growth in Ethereum layer-2 networks, and increasing tokenization of assets as the key drivers for its optimistic forecast.
Whale Transactions Boost Confidence
On Dec. 11, World Liberty Financial, a DeFi project linked to President-elect Donald Trump, swapped a significant amount of USDC stablecoin for Ether, raising its holdings to over $55 million. This high-profile transaction likely contributed to the positive market sentiment, further boosting ETH prices.
Ether has surged 65% over the last three months, demonstrating strong support levels even during short-term dips. The swift recovery from $3,550 suggests robust buying interest, fueled by institutional adoption, growing DeFi activity, and the expansion of Ethereum’s ecosystem.
While it remains uncertain if Ethereum will surpass $4,500 in the immediate future, the current bullish momentum, combined with onchain growth and institutional confidence, provides a constructive scenario for further gains.
