Ethereum Holds $3,200 Support as Grayscale Delivers Historic Staking Payout and Bulls Eye Triangle Breakout
Ethereum (ETH) is currently trading above $3,200, which is a 1% increase in the last 24 hours. As the second-largest crypto approaches a key
Quick overview
- Ethereum is currently trading above $3,200, marking a 1% increase in the last 24 hours as it approaches a key technical point.
- Grayscale has made history by announcing its first staking rewards payment for shareholders of the Grayscale Ethereum Trust ETF, marking a milestone for US-listed crypto ETFs.
- Ethereum is facing resistance around $3,160, with potential price movements depending on whether it breaks above this level or falls back to support levels.
- Tom Lee predicts Ethereum could rise to $250,000 per token, significantly increasing its market capitalization and boosting Bitmine's stock value.
Ethereum ETH/USD is currently trading above $3,200, which is a 1% increase in the last 24 hours. As the second-largest cryptocurrency approaches a key technical point, its future path could be set in early 2026.
Grayscale Makes History with First US ETH ETF Staking Distribution
Ethereum reached an important milestone when Grayscale announced its first staking rewards payment for shareholders of the Grayscale Ethereum Trust ETF (ETHE). This was the first time a US-listed spot crypto exchange-traded fund has scheduled a dividend based on onchain staking activity.
ETHE stockholders will get about $0.08 per share from the sale of staking incentives. The payment will be made on Tuesday based on the number of shares held at the end of the market on Monday. The payout comes from staking awards that have built up since Grayscale started staking its Ethereum products on October 6. This made ETHE and the Grayscale Ethereum Mini Trust ETF (ETH) the first US-listed spot crypto ETPs to get involved with Ether staking.
Institutional custodians and third-party validator providers handle the staking process. They lock up bitcoin on Ethereum’s proof-of-stake blockchain to confirm transactions and keep the network safe. Grayscale is different from other cryptocurrency staking payouts since it turns incentives into cash and sends them to investors in dollars.
Grayscale is the only company that now offers staking-linked rewards, but many other asset managers are trying to get permission from regulators to do the same. In March, Cboe BZX asked for permission to add staking to the Fidelity Ethereum Fund. In November, BlackRock registered a staked Ethereum ETF in Delaware as a first step toward launching a staking-enabled product alongside its iShares Ethereum Trust ETF (ETHA).
Ethereum ETF Market Dynamics: $18 Billion in Assets Under Management
Since they started trading in July 2024, US spot Ether ETFs have brought in $9.6 billion in 2025, their first full calendar year of availability. CoinMarketCap says that these funds together handle almost $18 billion in assets.
With a market value of approximately $11.1 billion, BlackRock’s ETHA is the biggest. Grayscale’s ETHE comes in second with a market cap of about $4.1 billion, while the Grayscale Ethereum Mini Trust ETF comes in third with a market cap of about $1.5 billion.
ETH/USD Technical Analysis: Critical Triangle Pattern at Inflection Point
Ethereum is reaching a key technical point as it challenges the resistance line of a symmetrical triangle pattern near $3,160. The last Sunday rally brought ETH right into this overhead resistance zone, which is a key place for traders to make a decision.
There are signs of bullish activity on the daily chart. The moving averages have crossed over in a positive way, and the RSI has gone over 63, which means that buying momentum is in favor of the bulls. If the price breaks out over the resistance line, it will be free to rise to $3,659, with the psychological level of $4,000 being the final goal.
However, economists warn that resistance around $3,160 could cause short-term weakness. If there is a confirmed 4-hour close above this level, continuation longs could aim for $3,250, with $3,390 as the final goal. On the other hand, if this resistance level fails, the price might drop back down to support levels around $3,050 or even lower to $2,880, where smart money may build up before the next long-term rally.
The weekly chart shows that Ethereum is hovering around broader structural support, which could lead to price increases. The most important reference point is still the key resistance zone above, and how Ethereum acts as it gets closer to this area will determine which broader market scenario takes over in early 2026.
Ethereum Price Prediction: Tom Lee’s Audacious $250,000 Target
Tom Lee, the chairman of Bitmine, has made one of the most daring predictions in the cryptocurrency market: that Ethereum will rise 8,000% to $250,000 per token. If this goal were reached, Ethereum’s worth would rise to over $30 trillion, which is more than the combined market capitalizations of Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, and Tesla.
Lee’s prediction came with a plan to raise Bitmine’s authorized shares from 500 million to 50 billion so that a stock split could happen in the future. After the news, Bitmine shares rose 15%, showing that investors were confident even though the overall market was putting pressure on digital asset treasury organizations.
Lee said that when Ethereum hits $250,000, Bitmine’s stock will trade at $5,000 per share. However, he didn’t say when this would happen. Bitmine has bought $1.4 billion more Ethereum in the last few weeks, raising its total holdings to over $12 billion, which is more than 3.4% of Ethereum’s circulating supply. The company wants to achieve 5%.
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