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Ethereum (ETH) Price Crash: Market Panic or Whale Manipulation? Can It Rebound to $3,800?

Ethereum (ETH) Price Crash: Market Panic or Whale Manipulation? Can It Rebound to $3,800?

Author:
Coingape
Published:
2025-08-02 08:42:59
15
1

Ethereum's nosedive has traders scrambling—was this a natural correction or a coordinated takedown by big players?

Market psychology at play

Fear spreads faster than DeFi hacks when ETH breaks support levels. Retail investors panic-sell while institutional players might be engineering the dip for strategic accumulation.

The $3,800 question

All eyes are on whether Ethereum can reclaim its psychological resistance level. The network's fundamentals remain strong, but crypto markets have short memories and shorter attention spans.

Remember: Wall Street's 'smart money' always buys the blood in the streets—right after they've finished painting them red first.

Why Over 913,000 Ethereum(ETH) Is Lost Forever? Unlike traditional finance, where banks can reverse mistaken transactions, crypto offers no such safety net. In the decentralized world of Ethereum, once a transaction is confirmed on the blockchain, it is permanent and irreversible. How Much Ethereum Has Been Lost? According to Conor Grogan, Director at Coinbase, over 913,111 ETH—worth approximately $3.4 billion at current prices—has been permanently lost due to human and technical errors. This staggering figure represents around 0.76% of Ethereum’s total circulating supply, currently standing at 120.7 million ETH. Key Figure: 913,111 ETH lost = ~$3.4 Billion. % of Total Supply: 0.76% Why Is Ethereum Lost? A significant amount of Ethereum has been lost due to three main reasons. Wrong address transfers: where users mistakenly send ETH to incorrect or non-recoverable addresses. This includes typos, sending funds to contract addresses not designed to receive them, or using incompatible blockchain networks. Smart contract vulnerabilities. Bugs or coding errors in smart contracts can lead to funds being locked, redirected, or exploited, often permanently, with no way to recover them. Multisig wallet failures. If a multi-signature wallet is misconfigured, destroyed, or if the required keys are lost, the ETH stored becomes permanently inaccessible. Notable Ethereum Loss Incidents Incident ETH Lost Cause Parity Wallet Bug 306,000 ETH Contract destroyed due to bug QuadrigaCX 60,000 ETH Poorly managed wallets after CEO’s death Akutars NFT $34M in ETH Two smart contract bugs Burn Address Mistakes ~25,000 ETH Sent to unrecoverable addresses due to typos Can Lost Ethereum Be Recovered? No. Due to Ethereum’s immutable blockchain design, once ETH is sent to an invalid or inaccessible address, it cannot be retrieved. There is no central authority to reverse or recover funds. Grogan believes the actual number of lost Ethereum may be much higher than $3.4 billion, as many incidents go unreported or unnoticed.

Ethereum’s price has come under notable pressure, falling below key psychological and technical levels. The second-largest token entered a corrective phase after a period of sustained upward momentum, triggering renewed concerns across the market. The latest pullback has not only broken the short-term bullish structure but also raised questions about the underlying strength of the current trend. 

Besides, the sudden reversal is catching attention, especially as trading volume remains uneven and larger market participants appear to be repositioning. Currently, ETH is trading around $3,500, having slipped nearly 9% in the past week, prompting questions: Is this just a standard market correction, a bearish breakdown, or something more calculated by savvy investors?

ETH Price Plunge—A Deliberate Move?

Ethereum demonstrated exceptional strength in July by rising over 55% and also closed the month around $3700 for the first time since November 2024. However, the upward pressure began to mount similarly as it happened in December 2024, which raises concerns over the next price action. Moreover, according to some reports, the current price action is speculated to be a deliberate move by big exchanges to accumulate at the local lows and inflate the ETH price back to its previous levels. 

Binance is likely pushing $ETH lower to trigger more long liquidations.

Once those hit, they usually pump it back up.

I’ve got a thesis on when the bottom hits, I’ll share it tomorrow.

Check the price this morning and see the evidence below. pic.twitter.com/RAZTeNssnu

— Ted (@TedPillows) August 2, 2025

As per the data shared by Ted, the top exchange, Binance, is trying to push the prices lower to liquidate the long positions, which are mounting. The platform has reportedly been doing this for quite some time, and retail investors do fall prey. The analyst has also advised to closely monitor the ETH price around $3,390 as he expects a strong bounce around these levels. 

What’s Next—Will Ethereum Price Rebound to $3,800?

The ETH price has formed a similar pattern that helped the token break above the bearish pattern a few days before. The token had experienced a deviation, a parabolic recovery, that ended in May as the price broke above $2400 and maintained a close consolidation for the next few months. Currently, the price is displaying a similar pattern but in the opposite direction, which is a matter of concern. 

Ethereum price

As seen in the above chart, the ETH price tested the resistance level but failed to secure the range. Therefore, it is very important for the token to rise and sustain above the range to avoid confirming this troubling deviation. If the price repeats the inverse playbook, then the possibility of plunging below $3000 emerges. However, in the times when the market conditions are evolving, such drastic price action is unlikely, as the indicators in the long term are about to turn green. Hence, keeping the likelihood of a new ATH above $5000 in play. 

The ethereum ETFs are signalling massive bullish signals, as out of 31 days, they experienced only a single day of outflow. This suggests a structured accumulation done by the institutions, which suggests it isn’t a retail hype anymore, but a long-term accumulation.  On the other hand, whales have also been closely monitored and are buying ETH. A whale who made nearly $30 million profit in June has again bought 20,000 ETH for nearly $74 million. These on-chain signals suggest the ETH price is primed to resume a strong upswing, which may push the price towards new highs.

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