Ethereum is trading near $2,113 as market attention turned to new comments from Vitalik Buterin about the future role of the Ethereum Foundation and its ETH sales. The Ethereum Foundation is expected to become smaller, more focused, and more selective in how it uses its remaining resources, with Buterin saying this approach means the organization will “sell less ETH.”
The update came while ETH remained under pressure. Ethereum bounced about 5% from a weekend low near $2,020 but later moved sideways around $2,115. The asset is still down about 9% over the past 14 days, while the Ethereum Fear and Greed Index stood at 33, signaling fear among traders.
Source: X
Santiment data showed that crowd sentiment around Vitalik-related trending words turned about 76% bullish after the comments. However, the price response remained limited, showing that improved sentiment has not yet created a strong recovery in ETH’s market structure.
Ethereum Foundation Plans Smaller Role
Buterin said the Ethereum Foundation is not the center of Ethereum, but one node with a defined mission. He said the organization will focus on core priorities such as censorship resistance, capture resistance, openness, privacy, and security.
He also said the foundation holds only about 0.16% of the total ETH supply. That level is far below the treasury share held by many foundations behind other blockchain networks. Because of those limited resources, Buterin said the foundation is choosing longevity over breadth.
The new direction means the foundation may reduce activities that can be handled by other groups in the Ethereum ecosystem. Buterin said some work needed to support ETH as a financial asset falls outside the foundation’s role and should be carried by other organizations.
The foundation’s expected reduction in ETH selling may lower one source of market concern. Still, the size of its holdings suggests the direct supply effect may be limited compared with broader market flows from exchanges, ETFs, funds, and large holders.
ETH Price Struggles Despite Buying Activity
Ethereum has remained in a short-term downtrend since May 11, falling from about $2,375 to nearly $2,031 on May 23. That move represented a decline of roughly 14.5%.
CryptoQuant analyst Carmelo Alemán noted that ETH has weakened despite signs of aggressive buying. Spot volume fell from 470,770 ETH to 256,963 ETH over 12 days, a decline of about 45.4%. In dollar terms, spot volume dropped from roughly $1.10 billion to $521.4 million.
Source: X
Derivatives data has also failed to confirm a strong bullish expansion. Open interest moved only slightly from $15.43 billion to $15.54 billion. Funding rates remained positive, meaning long traders continued paying to hold exposure while ETH moved lower.
Spot taker CVD stayed buy-dominant, but price still declined. That suggests aggressive buyers were present, but sell-side liquidity and available supply continued to absorb demand. Exchange netflow was also negative near 80,507 ETH, showing net outflows from exchanges, yet ETH did not sustain a recovery.
Ethereum Price $2,500 Recovery Depends on Key Resistance
For ETH price to recover above $2,500, buyers need to reclaim nearby resistance and rebuild spot volume. The current price area near $2,100 remains below the wider accumulation zone between about $1,600 and $2,600.
Ethereum is still trading inside a long-term ascending channel that has been respected since earlier market cycles. The lower half of that channel is now being tested. A bounce from this region could keep the broader structure intact and allow ETH to attempt a move toward $2,500.
Source: X
The first important bullish zone sits between $2,600 and $3,000. A move above that area would strengthen the case for a larger recovery toward $4,200 to $5,000. Some long-term chart projections also place $10,000 as a macro target, but that level remains far above the current market price and would require a major trend shift.
On the downside, the main level to watch is $1,984. If ETH loses that area, the next support zone is near $1,937. A deeper breakdown below $1,600 on the two-week chart would weaken the long-term structure and bring the $1,000 to $1,300 support range into focus.
