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Ethereum Outpaces Bitcoin as Crypto Traders Shift Capital—Is This the Start of an Altseason?

Ethereum Outpaces Bitcoin as Crypto Traders Shift Capital—Is This the Start of an Altseason?

Author:
Ambcrypto
Published:
2025-05-16 19:00:15
7
2

Ethereum’s surge while Bitcoin flatlines sparks debate: Are smart money players rotating into altcoins for higher yields, or is this just another speculative blip before the next BTC rally?

Defi protocols and layer-2 solutions see record inflows as ETH breaks $4,500—meanwhile, Bitcoin traders yawn at sub-$70K consolidation. The ’flippening’ narrative gets fresh oxygen.

Wall Street analysts mutter about ’risk-on behavior’ while quietly moving their own stablecoin reserves. Some things never change—especially hedge fund hypocrisy during volatility.

Tactical tilt in play as capital rotates

Roughly a week ago, Ethereum’s breakout from $1,800 hit a wall. As price wicked into $2,597, AMBCrypto flagged a sharp long liquidity sweep, with 300,000 ETH dumped into strength. 

But the rejection wasn’t a reversal — it was a reset. 

On the 8th of May, Bitcoin Dominance [BTC.D] tapped out at 65.34% before rolling over, dropping 3% in the days that followed.  Meanwhile, ethereum Dominance [ETH.D] surged 3%, tagging 9.75% — a clean divergence.

Bitcoin dominance

Source: TradingView (BTC.D)

The result? ETH bulldozed through the $2,600 supply wall and flipped the level with conviction. In short, it was a textbook case of strategic rotation in motion.

With over 60%+ ROI in just weeks, Ethereum is delivering asymmetric upside. Consequently, investors are rotating aggressively to capture it.

Ethereum front-runs resistance as Bitcoin holds back

Beyond rotational capital, even smart money is capitalizing on Ethereum’s momentum. 

Abraxas Capital, a heavyweight in the game, has been loading up: 242,652 ETH added to the bags over the past week, totaling a massive $561 million. That pegs their average entry at approximately $2,312.

Clearly, a well-calculated strike well below the current spot, putting them on a sizable $76 million+ in unrealized gains.

So, with smart capital and solid bid support aligning, ETH’s primed to break $3k and potentially front-run BTC’s stubborn $106k resistance.

But keep an eye out. This rotational dance can flip on a dime. The ETH/BTC SOPR has flipped above 1 for the first time since the 5th of January.

Hence, signaling fresh profit-taking on the ETH-BTC pair.

Ethereum SOPR

Source: Glassnode

Back then, that signal unleashed an 8.3% bearish engulfing candle on ETH, triggering a textbook long liquidity sweep that shook out weak hands and ignited cascading stops.

Bottom line? The battle for crypto dominance is heating up, and Ethereum is dominating — for now.

But the charts make one thing clear: The story is far from over.

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