Why ETH’s Return to $2K Might Be a ‘Turning Point’

After weeks of subdued activity, US spot ETH ETFs also witnessed a surge in inflows.

Ethereum reclaimed the coveted $2,000 level on Wednesday, amidst a broader improvement in market tone. The world’s largest altcoin by market cap extended its gains and rallied by 8% over the past day.

But new data suggest that ETH’s price action may be entering a more unstable phase.

Ethereum at a Crossroads

Ethereum’s 30-day realized volatility on Binance has climbed to nearly 0.97. According to CryptoQuant, this is its highest level since March 2025. Such a move indicates that ETH’s daily price swings have widened significantly, in what appears to be a pivot away from the relatively calm trading conditions seen in recent weeks.

At the same time, Ethereum is trading in an area that has acted as a mid-range support zone. The combination of rising volatility and price consolidation points to an active standoff between buyers and sellers. Market participants are repositioning as they anticipate a larger move.

The analytics platform explained that this type of volatility expansion often reflects a repricing phase, rather than random short-term fluctuations.

From a structural front, the current volatility levels imply that the market has exited a low-volatility environment and entered a more reactive and uncertain phase. If volatility continues to rise in addition to the price movement, it could pave the way for a decisive directional breakout.

However, if price fails to follow through despite high volatility, ETH may remain trapped in a range until stronger conviction emerges. In past cycles, sharp increases in volatility have frequently come just before strong price rallies, which means that the market may now be at a critical turning point.

You may also like:

Analysts have recently stated that Ethereum is trading within a five-year demand zone, which they say has historically favored accumulation rather than selling.

Meanwhile, the latest data from Santiment revealed that Ethereum’s 30-day MVRV sits at -5.5%, which places it in mildly undervalued territory despite the recent market rally. The negative MVRV suggests recent buyers are, on average, at a loss, a condition that historically aligns with improved risk-reward zones rather than local market tops.

Improving Sentiment

On the institutional front, US-based spot Ethereum ETFs saw a sharp pickup in demand on February 25, logging more than $157 million in net inflows – its strongest daily total in over a month. The surge was led by Fidelity’s FETH, which attracted $62 million.

Grayscale’s ETHE followed with $33.8 million in inflows, while BlackRock’s ETHA added $31 million.