Ethereum News Today: Ethereum's 2025 Crossroads: Bearish Indicators vs. $25K Bernstein Outlook

Ethereum's price trajectory in 2025 has drawn renewed attention from analysts and institutional investors, with recent developments suggesting a potential shift in market dynamics. Following a softer-than-expected U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) report in September, Ethereum briefly reclaimed $4,000, with traders citing an 85% probability of two more Federal Reserve rate cuts before year-end, according to an FXStreet forecast. This optimism aligns with broader institutional trends, as Ethereum ETFs have outpaced Bitcoin ETFs in quarterly inflows for the first time, signaling a strategic rotation toward the second-largest cryptocurrency, according to CoinPedia.

Bernstein analysts have added fuel to the bullish narrative, initiating coverage on Ethereum treasury firm SharpLink (SBET) with a $24 price target — implying 75% upside by 2026, according to The Block. The firm highlighted SharpLink's focus on long-term ETH accumulation and staking, which could generate a 3.4% compound annual growth rate in yield over the next decade. Bernstein also reiterated its long-term ETH price forecasts, projecting $15,000 by 2030 and $25,000 by 2035, driven by the expansion of Ethereum-secured tokenized assets to $5 trillion by 2035. These predictions contrast with shorter-term technical analyses, such as the CoinCodex forecast of ETH reaching $4,295.43 by Nov. 4, 2025, though the platform currently notes bearish sentiment and a Fear & Greed index reading of 34.

Institutional demand for Ethereum has been further bolstered by on-chain activity. Whale accumulation has returned, with large holders (wallets holding 100–10,000 ETH) rebuying 218,470 ETH in the past week after a prior sell-off, CoinPedia reported. Meanwhile, XWIN Research Japan reported that Ethereum fund holdings doubled in 2025, reaching 6.8 million ETH by October, underscoring sustained institutional confidence, CoinPedia added. This trend coincides with Ethereum ETFs attracting $9 billion in inflows during Q3 2025 — the strongest quarter yet for the asset class, CoinPedia noted.

Technically, Ethereum faces critical support and resistance levels. CoinCodex identified key support at $3,840.80 and resistance at $3,996.02, with a bearish sentiment score driven by 19 negative indicators. However, CoinPedia's analysis suggests ETH could climb to $5,600 if it holds above the $3,670–$3,870 support range, a scenario implying nearly 40% gains before year-end. The Relative Strength Index (RSI) and Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) remain below neutral levels, indicating bearish momentum in the short term, FXStreet reported.

Despite these mixed signals, Ethereum's ecosystem continues to evolve. SharpLink's alignment with Consensys and planned $200 million ETH deployment on Ethereum's Layer 2 network positions it to capitalize on staking and liquidity programs, The Block noted. Bernstein also observed that declining global interest rates could drive demand for Ethereum yields, further solidifying its role as an institutional investment vehicle, The Block added.