Ethereum (ETH) has dropped sharply after failing to carry above the $3,400 resistance stage. The transfer has pushed the worth beneath a key help line, triggering elevated promoting throughout each spot and derivatives markets.
As of press time, ETH trades arpimd at $2,960, down practically 12% over the previous week. Buying and selling exercise has picked up, however patrons seem like stepping again.
Rejection at $3,400 Triggers Promote-Off
Ethereum was halted close to $3,400, a stage merchants had been watching. Analyst Kamran Asghar mentioned the rejection got here “completely off the OTE promoting space,” referring to a zone usually focused by sellers. After that transfer, the worth broke via ascending help, placing the $2,600 zone again in focus.
$Ethereum Rejected & Ejected.
Completely performed off the OTE Promoting Space at $3,400. We’ve now snapped the ascending help, and the trail of least resistance is wanting like a visit again to the $2,600 worth space. pic.twitter.com/6JQuZIqpmY
— 𝐊𝐚𝐦𝐫𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐬𝐠𝐡𝐚𝐫 (@Karman_1s) January 21, 2026
Up to now day, Ethereum misplaced practically 5% whereas quantity rose to over $31 billion. Derivatives quantity additionally climbed 40%, reaching $71.75 billion, per CoinGlass information. However open curiosity fell by about 5% to $39.35 billion, displaying many merchants have been closing positions as an alternative of including danger.
In the meantime, heatmap information from order books present heavy shopping for curiosity sitting beneath the present value. Analyst Kriptoholder famous demand within the $2,800–$2,850 vary, with bigger purchase partitions round $2,500–$2,600.
These areas may entice patrons if the asset drops additional. Pointing to massive pending orders from larger gamers, Kriptoholder mentioned,
“The order e-book heatmap transparently reveals the true liquidity depth resting beneath the worth motion.”
ETF Outflows and Falling Change Reserves
US spot ETH ETFs recorded web outflows of $229.95 million on January 20, ending a five-day influx streak (per SoSoValue’s information). The shift in circulate route got here throughout the identical interval as the worth decline, suggesting potential profit-taking or diminished short-term confidence.

In the meantime, ETH held on centralized exchanges continues to shrink. In keeping with CryptoQuant analyst Arab Chain, reserves have dropped to 16.2 million ETH, the bottom since 2016. Binance alone noticed a fall from 4.168 million to 4.0 million tokens since early January.
As well as, Ethereum staking additionally hit a brand new report, with extra cash being locked up than ever earlier than. This reduces circulating provide and should help value as soon as promoting stress fades.
Longer-Time period Setup Stays in Focus
Some merchants are watching for a bigger setup to play out. As CryptoPotato reported, ETH could also be forming an inverse head-and-shoulders sample, with a potential breakout goal close to $4,400. That stage would must be cleared for the construction to be confirmed.
Elsewhere, a put up from Bitcoinsensus raised the query: “Is a $10K ETH on the desk for this cycle?” Primarily based on previous cycles and diminished returns, the estimate recommended a potential vary of $10K–$15K. Nevertheless, market circumstances stay fluid, and the near-term pattern has turned decrease.
The put up ETH Crashes 12% Weekly: Is a Drop to $2,600 Subsequent? appeared first on CryptoPotato.

