ETF Ethereum intensifies selling: Is the scenario of ETH retreating to the $2,500 mark imminent?

While many investors still hope for a “Santa Rally” – the traditional year-end price surge, Ethereum ETFs are defying these expectations in December.

Since December 11th, capital has been continuously withdrawn from the funds, resulting in a total of $853.9 million being “lost” in just two weeks, according to data from Farside Investors. It wasn’t until December 22nd that ETH ETFs saw a return of positive inflows with $84.6 million.

The most notable development is BlackRock’s ETHA fund – considered a major player in the industry – unexpectedly leading the outflows. This move indicates that even the strongest organizations are proactively reducing risk as the holiday season approaches.

Ethereum Price Movement

Although Ethereum (ETH) and Bitcoin (BTC) experienced slight gains in the past 24 hours, organizations seem to be more cautious, reducing risk or locking in profits before the year ends.

Ethereum is currently trading around $2,934, but the pressure from large-scale withdrawals from ETFs has traders concerned. The key support level to watch is $2,500 — if withdrawals continue at the current pace, this level could be tested.

Interestingly, despite selling pressure, ETH remains around the $2,900 mark on the price chart. This suggests that retail investors or on-chain buyers may be absorbing sell-offs from ETFs, helping to maintain market sentiment.

Is Bitcoin an Exception?

Meanwhile, Bitcoin ETFs also faced a challenging month, with a larger total capital than Ethereum. Since December 11th, these funds have experienced outflows totaling $1.538 billion, reflecting continuous and pronounced withdrawals by institutional investors.

Only two days broke this trend: December 12th with modest inflows of $49.1 million, and December 17th with $457.3 million. However, these bright spots are just rare moments amid the overall picture of net outflows throughout December.

As a result, along with heavy selling pressure and other factors, Bitcoin’s price has declined, currently trading at $88,514.79 at the time of writing, demonstrating ongoing pressure from major market players.

Technical Perspective

Although the price increase remains modest, the Relative Strength Index (RSI) for both Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) at the time of writing remains below 50 — a sign that short-term downward pressure has not weakened.

However, a noteworthy point is that RSI is trending upward, hinting at the potential formation of a bullish divergence. If this scenario is confirmed, the market may be approaching an inflection point, opening up expectations for a trend reversal in the near future.

What to Expect in 2026?

As we move into 2026, the cryptocurrency market landscape shows clear divergence, with Bitcoin and Ethereum seemingly choosing different development paths.

In this context, Ripple (XRP) stands out as a rare bright spot, becoming the most stable ETF with consistent capital inflows, pushing its total assets under management beyond $1.16 billion.

The scale and resilience of this capital flow are clear evidence of strong confidence from institutional investors in XRP’s legal framework and long-term prospects. Conversely, both Ethereum and Bitcoin still have not achieved comparable levels of trust in this regard.

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