ETH (Ethereum) decreased by 4.33% in the past 24 hours

Gate News Bot Message, December 18th, according to CoinMarketCap data, as of press time, ETH (Ethereum) is currently priced at $2823.18, down 4.33% in the past 24 hours, with a high of $3265.37 and a low of $2821.71. The 24-hour trading volume reached $26.083 billion. The current market capitalization is approximately $340.744 billion, a decrease of $15.41 billion from yesterday.

Ethereum is a leading platform for innovative applications and blockchain networks. The network is dedicated to creating a faster, safer, and more user-friendly experience. The Ethereum ecosystem covers multiple application areas including stablecoins, decentralized finance (DeFi), NFTs, and social platforms. Currently, DeFi protocols lock in assets worth $14.05 billion, staked Ethereum funds amount to $105.6 billion, with an average transaction cost of about $0.00073, and 16.66 million transactions occurred in the past 24 hours. Ethereum boasts the largest and most active developer ecosystem in Web3, with developers able to build applications using JavaScript, Python, or learn smart contract languages like Solidity and Vyper.

Important recent ETH news:

1️⃣ Institutional fund flows diverge, US spot ETFs continue net outflows suppressing prices The US spot Ethereum ETF has experienced net outflows for the fourth consecutive day, with a total outflow of over $449 million in the past week, and a single-day outflow of 67,615 ETH on December 17th. The US spot Bitcoin ETF also saw a significant net outflow of 3,760 BTC. This indicates that during year-end risk adjustment periods, institutional investors are systematically reducing their crypto exposure rather than increasing it. Meanwhile, JPMorgan launched its first Ethereum-based tokenized money market fund, MONY, with $100 million of its own funds, reflecting institutional recognition of Ethereum as a financial infrastructure. However, in the short term, this has not yet offset the market suppression caused by ETF fund outflows.

2️⃣ Derivatives market leverage drops significantly, long liquidation pressure eased In the past 24 hours, the entire network experienced liquidations totaling $362 million, including $82.014 million in long positions and $33.319 million in short positions on Ethereum, indicating clear pressure on longs. A whale address heavily long on Ethereum was partially liquidated, with assets including 1,960 ETH (about $560,000) and 431,000 HYPE tokens. The address still holds a long position of 7,841 ETH with unrealized losses. Several large traders were forced to close positions on HyperLiquid, including Machi Big Brother, who was fully liquidated on 25x leverage with losses exceeding $22.9 million, then re-entered by depositing $1.2 million USDC to restart trading. This reflects tight market liquidity and divergent trader outlooks on the future direction.

3️⃣ Large-scale chip selling signals whale reduction of holdings About 28,500 ETH were sold off in the short term, worth over $80 million. Wallets associated with early Lido members sold more than 14,500 ETH within an hour. Bitcoin OG addresses transferred over 614,468 ETH to multiple new wallets, worth approximately $1.8 billion, with the long positions in derivatives markets still showing unrealized losses of $37 million. Wallets linked to Konstantin Lomashuk liquidated 14,585 ETH at an average price of $2,928, cashing out $42.71 million. The “Insider Whale 1011” unstaked 270,959 ETH worth $795 million on December 18th. The liquidity release of these large holdings indicates major players are actively reducing positions amid uncertain technical support and fundamental outlooks.

4️⃣ Long-term fundamentals strengthen, but demand side needs to be unleashed Ethereum Foundation executives disclosed that about 90% of crypto lending income comes from Ethereum and its Layer 2 networks, highlighting Ethereum’s core role in DeFi. ETHZilla plans to launch its first RWA token early 2026. The current holdings of 93,790 ETH are valued at $276.4 million. SharpLink received 465 ETH in staking rewards last week, further supporting Ethereum’s long-term value proposition through improved staking infrastructure. Vitalik Buterin reiterated that improving protocol understandability and simplifying design are key to trustless systems. Wonderland Fund is recognized for its important role within the Ethereum ecosystem, and ecosystem development continues to strengthen. However, these long-term positives have not yet effectively transmitted to the spot market demand, with on-chain inflows to exchanges dropping back to $382,000 in the short term.

5️⃣ US regulatory environment improves, systemic risk recognition eliminated The US Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) officially removed crypto assets from its “Systemic Financial Risk” watchlist in its 2025 report, marking a fundamental shift in regulatory attitude. Federal banking regulators have adjusted their stance on traditional financial institutions participating in crypto activities, removing some prior “pre-approval not opposed” thresholds. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has approved some crypto businesses and granted preliminary trust licenses to Circle, Ripple, Fidelity Digital Assets, among others. This provides a regulatory framework for traditional finance to deepen involvement in the Ethereum ecosystem, though market pricing of this long-term positive remains ongoing.

This news is not investment advice; please be aware of market volatility risks.