Important takeouts:
Ether appears as it has not reached a record $3.8 billion led by Lido, Ethfi and Coinbase.
Strategic reserves and ETF holdings have increased 140% since May 1.
ETH’s $4,200 support is important and there is a risk of $1.2 billion if prices are tagged to levels.
Ethereum’s staking ecosystem has hit a new high, with 877,106 ether (ETH) now worth $3.888 billion, with a 15-day wait on Friday. ValidatorQueue data shows that the current number of active validators exceeds 1.08 million, 29.5% of the total supply of ETH supply, or approximately 35.3 million ETH.
Decentralized Financial Finance (DEFI) analyst Ignus said the unresolved ETH surge is driven primarily by the top three liquid staking platforms. Lido is leading ETHFI of 134,000 ETHs and 113,000 ETHs for the withdrawal, leading ETHFI of 134,000 ETHs and Coinbase of 113,000 ETHs.
This rise in unsed ETH could mean that massive profit acquisitions may be ongoing, but analysts believe the recent accumulation and purchasing strength from ether financing companies have helped the ETH Exchange Trade Fund (ETF) absorb much of the selling pressure.
Data from StrategiceThreserve.xyz highlights that collective holdings of strategic reserves and ETFs have skyrocketed by 140% since May 1, rising from 4,140,953 ETH to 10,008,263 ETH. The rapid increase highlights the rapid integration of ether supply in the hands of major institutional and corporate players.
Ignus highlights another bullish story that has been linked to the possibility of the launch of the ETH Staking ETF. Analysts suggest that some investors may be re-entering liquidity to later re-enter these products, effectively restructuring their exposure without completely closing the ETH market.
The final deadline for SEC approval is set in April 2026, but Bloomberg ETF analyst Seyffart points out that green light could possibly arrive much earlier in October 2025.
Related: Ether Price Prediction Market BET ETH reaches $5K by the end of August
How does “wait” affect ether prices?
The number of ETHs surrounded by cue is a double-edged sword for etheric price action. If the institutional flow maintains pace, ETH can retain its position and even set it up for a higher leg. However, if these inflows slow, the unorganized ETH backlog can become heavy in the market.
Ether Price faces sharp revisions on Thursday and Friday following US Hot Producer Price Index (PPI) printing, causing inflation concerns. Currently, the price is around $4,500, so ether can tag daily order blocks or internal liquidity zones between $4,370 and $4,160 before moving towards the $5,000 level.
Crypto information platform Kiyomoto reported a massive ETH liquidation cluster of between $5,000 and $5,200 on Wednesday. However, pressure has shifted to long over the past 24 hours, with positions with a risk of liquidation exceeding $1.2 billion.
If Ether is unable to hold the $4,200 level, the next key support will be between $4,100 and $3,900. This area also overlaps with previous high levels, increasing its potential strength as a support zone.
Related: Ether Rally turns exploits of sparkling capital into a hacker’s $103 million windfall
This article does not include investment advice or recommendations. All investment and trading movements include risk and readers must do their own research when making decisions.
