Due to significant institutional inflows, Ethereum (ETH) surged beyond $3,800 on July 21, 2025, hitting $3,811.22, up 10% in a single day, according to CoinGecko. BlackRock’s ETHA ETF led with $499.2 million in single-day inflows on July 16, while Fidelity’s FETH added $113.3 million, contributing to a record $726 million for U.S. Ethereum ETFs, per Farside Investors. X posts from @JefferyCrypt note BlackRock and Fidelity stacking ETH, with ETFs holding 4.95 million ETH (4% of supply), per The Block. Analyst Gert Van Lagen predicts a fifth-wave rally to $10,000, citing market structure, per Cryptopolitan.
ETH broke a multi-week ascending triangle, clearing $3,298 resistance and hitting $3,811, per Brave New Coin. The RSI at 71 and a bullish MACD divergence signal strong momentum, though overbought risks loom, per TradingView. According to coinworldstory.com, Ethereum’s attraction is strengthened by its DeFi dominance, which has $74 billion in TVL, and Layer 2 growth (Arbitrum, Optimism). Institutional bets are driven by the GENIUS Act’s stablecoin clarity and the possibility of ETH ETF approvals by Q3 2025, according to smallcapnetwork.com. According to Bitget, 4.1 million addresses that hold ETH at $3,100 could sell at break-even, with the possibility of a decline to $3,600.
The altcoin market cap rose to $1.55 trillion, with the Altcoin Season Index at 47, up from 29, per Cryptopolitan. Solana ($197.50, +12%) and XRP ($3.48, +23%) rode the wave, per CoinMarketCap. ETH’s 11.1% market share and 1.87% dominance gain reflect capital rotation from Bitcoin (61.29% dominance), per CoinGecko. X posts from @SonarPING_ highlight ETH’s role as a capital reserve asset, with corporate treasuries like GameSquare’s $100 million ETH strategy, per hokanews.com. SEC scrutiny of DeFi and potential US tariffs could cap gains, per Reuters.
ETH could hit $4,000–$5,000 by year-end, with 80.5% of investors eyeing $4,000 and some targeting $8,000, per Coinlineup.com. A dip to $3,600 offers a buying opportunity, but a break below $3,298 risks $3,100, per CryptoPotato. Monitor ETF inflows via SoSoValue and whale activity on Glassnode to gauge momentum. Diversify into Solana or Cardano to capture altcoin season upside, but hedge against volatility from macro factors like Fed rate hikes (S&P 500 correlation: 0.50), per interactivecrypto.com. ETH’s DeFi and ETF momentum signals robust growth, but regulatory risks warrant caution.
