Ethereum’s price is consolidating near $2,500 as institutions quietly ramp up their exposure to ETH.
As of press time, Ethereum (ETH) is trading at $2,492, down 0.9% over the last day. The price is close to the lower end of its recent 7-day range between $2,419 and $2,666 and. Market activity appears to be picking up steam despite the slight decline.
Ethereum’s 24-hour trading volume has increased by more than 25% to $11.42 billion, indicating a resurgence of investor interest. In line with this, Coinglass data shows that derivatives volume increased 21.9% to $37.36 billion, but a 1% decline in open interest indicates that some traders are pulling out as others position for short-term volatility.
Institutional conviction is steadily growing behind the scenes, supporting ETH’s long-term narrative. Spot Ethereum ETFs have now seen inflows for four consecutive, recording $281 million last week alone, as per SoSoValue data. These funds now hold over $9.6 billion in net assets. It’s evident that traditional finance is allocating heavily rather than merely scratching the surface.
That conviction has translated into deeper plays. On June 2, Nasdaq-listed SharpLink Gaming raised $425 million to begin accumulating ETH for its treasury. The funding round was led by Ethereum-native giant ConsenSys, and co-founder Joseph Lubin joined SharpLink’s board. U.K.-based Abraxas Capital also expanded its ETH exposure in May, lifting its total holdings above $800 million.
In addition, according to recent reports, U.S. banks are now allowed to stake Ethereum, which could open up billions of dollars in future capital flows. The impact is beginning to show on-chain.
ETH staking deposits on Lido (LDO) jumped 5% last week to reach 9.5 million ETH. Popular crypto analyst Merlijn The Trader recently noted on X that ETH staked across the network now exceeds 32.8 million, effectively locking up over $100 billion in value and tightening liquid supply.
Adding to the momentum, industry titans like BlackRock and JPMorgan are either boosting exposure or building infrastructure on Ethereum, a silent but powerful vote of confidence.
Looking at the technical picture, ETH is positioned close to the lower half of its Bollinger Band range. The relative strength index, which stands at 51 and is in neutral territory, indicates market indecision. The moving average convergence divergence is showing faint bearish signals, and the stochastic RSI is testing the oversold region.
Short-term SMAs and EMAs have also turned bearish, indicating downward pressure. The longer-term 50-, 100-, and 200-day moving averages, however, are still firmly bullish, indicating that the overall trend is still in place.
Bulls may aim for $2,700 and higher if institutional accumulation persists and ETH regains $2,560. In the short term, a confirmed move above $2,700 might pave the way for $2,850. Bears might take back control if ETH is unable to maintain the $2,430 support. A daily close below this level could trigger a retest of the $2,300–2,250 zone.