Ethereum News Today: Institutional Confidence Drives Ethereum ETF Inflows Amid Market Jitters

Ethereum spot ETFs saw a total net inflow of $134 million on October 22, according to data from SoSoValue, with all nine listed ETFs avoiding net outflows for the first time in recent weeks. This marked a reversal from earlier outflows that had persisted for much of October, as institutional demand for the cryptocurrency asset class showed signs of stabilizing. The inflows came amid a broader crypto market consolidation phase, with Ethereum (ETH) trading around $4,160 as of October 26, reflecting modest gains amid renewed interest in blockchain-based tokenization and stablecoin growth, according to a CryptoNews report.

The inflows followed a period of significant outflows in late September and early October, when Ethereum ETFs lost over $243 million in a single week due to heightened market fear, according to a Crypto.News analysis. However, the October 22 inflow pushed cumulative net inflows for Ethereum ETFs since their 2024 approval past $14.57 billion, with assets under management now exceeding $25.8 billion, per ChainCatcher data. BlackRock's iShares Ethereum Trust (ETHA) led the day's inflows, adding $111 million, while Fidelity's FETH, which had previously seen large outflows, recorded $49.46 million in outflows, highlighting the varied performance across the ETF landscape, according to a MEXC report.

The rebound in inflows coincided with a slight improvement in market sentiment, though the Crypto Fear and Greed Index remained in the "fear" zone at 29, down from 33 a day earlier, as noted in the CryptoNews report. This contrasted with the robust $477 million in inflows for Bitcoin ETFs on the same day, driven by optimism around U.S.-China trade negotiations, also reported by CryptoNews. Ethereum's price trajectory, meanwhile, showed technical resilience, having rebounded from a low of $1,376 in April and forming a bullish flag pattern that analysts say could signal further gains, per the Crypto.News analysis.

Ethereum's fundamentals also provided tailwinds. Stablecoin supply on the network grew by 2.78% over the past 30 days, while decentralized exchange (DEX) activity surged, with $148 billion in transactions processed in the same period, according to the Crypto.News analysis. BitMine, the largest Ethereum treasury firm, added 77,055 ETH to its holdings in the week ending October 26, pushing its total stash to 3.31 million tokens and valuing its ETH holdings at $13.8 billion, as reported in an FXStreet article. The firm's chairman, Thomas Lee, attributed Ethereum's recent rebound to progress in U.S.-China trade talks, which he argued reduced geopolitical risks for risk-on assets like crypto, according to Yahoo Finance.

Despite these positives, Ethereum faces near-term resistance at $4,270, with a breakdown below $3,800 posing a risk of further declines toward $3,500, according to the CryptoNews report. The ETF inflows, however, suggest growing institutional confidence in Ethereum's long-term prospects, particularly as network activity and stablecoin adoption continue to expand, per the Crypto.News analysis.