Ethereum’s Make-or-Break ETF Moment: How 35M Staked ETH Could Send Shockwaves Through Crypto

Ethereum's moment of truth arrives as regulators weigh a landmark ETF decision—while a mountain of staked ETH looms over the market.

35 million and counting: The sleeping giant that could wake up swinging

That's enough staked ETH to make even Bitcoin maximalists glance nervously at the charts. The SEC's impending verdict could trigger a liquidity tsunami—or leave bagholders staring at locked-up assets like Wall Street tourists who missed the exit.

Market makers are already positioning for volatility. When 20% of Ethereum's supply is staked, every basis point of yield becomes a battleground. Institutional players want in—but only if they can repackage it with enough fees to justify their yachts.

One thing's certain: The 'merge' was just the warm-up act. Now Ethereum faces its real stress test—proving it can handle mainstream finance without becoming what it sought to replace.

• Ethereum dips below key $2.4K support, signaling short-term bearish trend
• 35M ETH staked amid ETF anticipation, reflecting investor confidence
• 2025 ETH forecasts show mixed sentiment, hinging on ETF approval and macro trends

Ethereum (Eth) is currently trading at $2,447.10, which indicates a 0.66% daily increase. Despite the slight benefit, ETH has lost about 2.04% last week. The trading volume in the last 24 hours increased slightly by 0.83%, reaching $18.58 billion, indicating continuous investors’ interest in price turbulence.

Crypto analyst c3_trading said that ETH has dropped below the important $2,400 support level after moving sideways for a while. This makes the short-term outlook look negative. If the price doesn’t go back up soon, the next strong support could be around $2,100. But if buyers take control again, the price could rise to $2,760 or even $3,000.

Investors should watch if ETH can get back above $2,400 or see if it stays steady NEAR $2,100. The medium-term trend is still going down, but the long-term outlook is uncertain and neutral because of the market situation.

Ethereum staking reaches 35 million ETH

A big milestone has been reached with 35 million ETH, worth about $140 billion, now staked, this is the highest ever. It shows that more people trust ethereum for the long run. This happens as talks about a new Ethereum Staking Spot ETF grow, though the SEC has delayed its decision until June 1, 2025.

The amount of staked ETH has grown by 3,400% since mid-2021. This huge increase followed Ethereum’s switch to a proof-of-stake system with the 2022 ETH 2.0 upgrade, which lowered its energy use by over 99.95%, says research from the University of Cambridge.

Grayscale’s Bitcoin ETF has received approval, but one for Ethereum is still uncertain. Many analysts believe that getting an Ethereum-based ETF could be game-changing for Ether. 

It WOULD allow institutional investors to invest in ETH through regulated funds, similar to what they do with stocks and ETFs. This might boost Ether’s popularity and demand further

ETH 2025 Price Forecast Remains Cautious

Even with increased staking and ETF expectations, Ethereum price prediction 2025 the technical analysis paints a mixed picture for ETH. Changelly ETC’s prediction shows that ETH could be around $2,315.55 to $2,634.41 during 2025, with an average price of about $2,953.26. 

Considering Ethereum’s current price of around $4,300, this implies an ROI of -32.9%. For June 2025, forecasts suggest prices will be between $2,469.29 and $2,700.13, which is slightly higher than the current price. 

Without any big events happening though, it still shows that ETH has not pumped much yet. Analysts are saying that ETF approval and network developments plus macroeconomic factors will play a huge role in breaking ETH out of its resistance level.