Ethereum Whales are not dead: The $400 million movement that shows what's going on

[Ben Graham]

Ethereum whales have continued to accumulate despite the current downtrend in the ETH price, providing a bullish outlook for the second-largest crypto by market cap. Notably, ETH withdrawals from exchanges recently reached their highest level since October last year, totaling over $400 million. 

Ethereum Whales Accelerate Withdrawals From Exchanges

Crypto analyst Arab Chain noted in a CryptoQuant analysis that rising Ethereum withdrawals from exchanges have reached their highest level since October. The analyst noted that the exchange netflow data over the past few days indicates a clear acceleration in withdrawal activity. This signals a shift in Ethereum whales’ behavior as demand outpaces supply. 

Arab Chain revealed that across all exchanges, the net Ethereum outflows have exceeded 220,000 ETH, marking the highest level of withdrawals since October last year. This suggests that Ethereum whales are moving their coins to private wallets or long-term storage protocols, a move that the analyst noted is often associated with accumulation phases or risk-reduction behavior. 

Notably, daily net outflows on Binance reached nearly 158,000 ETH on February 5, the largest since August last year. Arab Chain stated that this confirms that a substantial portion of the recent outflows has been concentrated on the exchange with the deepest liquidity. From a price perspective, the analyst noted that the Ethereum whale accumulation coincided with ETH trading near the $1,800 to $2,000 range. 

Therefore, these Ethereum whales may see these levels as attractive zones for holding or repositioning amid this crypto market downtrend. Arab Chain added that the continued outflow of ETH from exchanges at this scale reduces immediate selling pressure and could provide near-term support for the ETH price, especially if the market gains momentum again. 

Ethereum Staking Hits New High

According to Token Terminal, Ethereum staking has surpassed 30% of the total supply, marking a new all-time high (ATH) in terms of staking ratio. Market commentator The Milk Road noted that this means that 36.8 million ETH, around $72 billion, is now locked up, with almost 1 million validators securing the network. 

The Milk Road further described this development as a sign of conviction in the Ethereum ecosystem, noting that these whales are willing to lock up $74 billion during a market downtrend. Notably, the staking exit queue is around 4.1 million ETH, which the market commentator remarked is nothing compared to what is currently staked. 

Interestingly, it also takes about 72 days to stake ETH at the moment, with staking demand at a new high. Meanwhile, the Milk Road also noted that the obvious impact is a significant supply restriction, which is a bullish catalyst for the ETH price. 

At the time of writing, the Ethereum price is trading at around $1,965, down in the last 24 hours, according to data from CoinMarketCap.