Market volatility continues to rise ethereum price A break below the $2,000 mark will limit any attempts at upside. Amid the sustained price decline, disagreements have arisen among ETH investors, with large holders selling while small holders are buying.
Ethereum whale sales coincide with retail accumulation in market split
Ethereum’s continued price trend decline As you can see from current activity and sentiment, it’s costing investors dearly. Following the downtrend, there has been a notable divergence in investor behavior, causing large and small holders to move in different directions.
watching report From Santiment, a leading market intelligence and on-chain data analytics platform. Large investors are leaning towards the sell sidewhile small investors lean towards the buy side. Even as retail and grassroots investors enter the market to buy, this disconnect increases the likelihood that large holders, often seen as whales or institutional-level participants, will lock in profits or change positions.
Current sales activity is observed among wallet addresses holding at least 1,000 ETH, in which case they are considered top holders. meanwhile, purchasing activities It is occurring between wallet addresses holding less than 1 ETH that have been flagged as low-tier investors.
Previously, these high-rise holders collectively held over 75% of Ethereum’s total supply. But their holdings are now below that level after dumping about 1.5% of supply since Christmas. Such a redistribution step has the potential to change the market structure. changing supply From focused hands to a wider base.
According to Santiment data, mid-sized investors (those holding 1-1,000 ETH) are also steadily purchasing altcoins. This persistent buying has brought the companies’ combined holdings back to over 23% of total supply for the first time since July 2025.
For small holders and low-tier investors, ETH accumulation is increasing, with their collective holdings at 2.3% of the total supply, the highest level ever. Santiment emphasized that these wallet addresses are likely increasing due to ETH staking.
Staking ETH now takes more time
as Ethereum staking As we’ve grown, this process has become more time-consuming than ever. milk road share With X, investors are expected to wait 71 days and 11 hours to stake their ETH. Recently, Ethereum staking reached 30% of the total supply, with 36.8 million ETH worth $72 billion locked up.
A queue of 4.1 million ETH suggests that staking demand is at an all-time high, even though the altcoin’s price is below $2,000. Meanwhile, the exit queue is essentially non-existent in comparison, leaving only 75,872 ETH. This trend is an expression of beliefs rather than high-yield farming behavior. People setting aside $74 billion when prices fall means calm, not speculation. “Look at that line. It’s an indicator of sentiment,” Milkroad added.
Featured image from iStock, chart from Tradingview.com
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