Ethereum

Ether dropped below $1,900 and $1,880, setting a low at $1,845 while trading under $1,920 and the 100‑hour SMA. Resistance clusters near $1,920 and $1,950; a break higher could target $2,000, $2,050, and $2,120, while support rests at $1,850 and $1,825 with risk toward $1,780 and $1,740.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has proposed using transaction simulations and related tools to better align onchain execution with user intent. In a recent post on X, he suggested that users first define the action they want to take and then approve or cancel after viewing a simulated outcome, supported by mechanisms like spending caps and multisig checks. He argued that while user intent is inherently complex and perfect security is unattainable, overlapping ways of expressing intent can make low-risk actions easier and high-risk actions more difficult.

Ethereum fell below $1,980 on 21 February as unrealized losses spread across major whale cohorts and the spot price slipped under the $2,075 mega-holder cost basis. At the same time, founder-linked wallets resumed staggered ETH sales and Kalshi markets priced high odds of deeper downside, including an 85% chance of a drop under $1,750. Despite this stress, on-chain data shows restrained whale selling and suggests strategic absorption rather than disorderly capitulation.

In the final week of February, Bitcoin ETFs recorded $315.9 million in outflows, with $303.5 million leaving BlackRock's IBIT, while Grayscale's BTC Mini ETF drew $36 million in fresh capital. Over the same period, Ethereum ETFs swung from a $48.6 million inflow to a $130.1 million outflow, but Solana products attracted consistent inflows, peaking at $6 million on 19 February. A new Active Crypto ETF plan from T. Rowe Price, announced on 17 February, highlighted growing institutional interest in a broader basket of digital assets.

Ethereum trades below the 100-day and 200-day moving averages within a descending channel. Price reacted at the $1,750–$1,800 demand area, while $2,300–$2,400 stands as a key resistance cluster. On the 4H chart, a coil above $1,800 highlights a break over $2,000–$2,100 or a failure of $1,800 as next catalysts.

BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, is reportedly assessing a structure that would add Ethereum staking to its exchange-traded products. The proposed model would direct about 82%–83% of staking rewards to ETF investors, with the rest covering validator and management costs, potentially turning spot ETH ETFs approved in 2024 into yield-generating instruments in addition to providing price exposure.

On February 22, 2026, on-chain trackers Arkham Intelligence and Lookonchain flagged Vitalik Buterin withdrawing 3,500 ETH from Aave and selling 571 ETH. Earlier in February, reported sales climbed to 6,183 ETH at a $2,140 average exit price, while ETH has continued to trade below $2,000 amid broader weakness.

BlackRock has filed the iShares Staked Ethereum Trust, expected to trade as ETHB, which plans to stake 70–95% of its Ether and distribute 82% of staking rewards to investors while charging a 0.25% sponsor fee. A December 17 regulatory document noted a seed purchase of 4,000 shares at $0.25 each, and market participants expect a first‑half 2026 rollout.

US spot Bitcoin ETFs have seen about $3.8 billion in outflows over the last five weeks, with net redemptions continuing through Feb. 20. Ether products recorded nearly $123 million in withdrawals across five consecutive weeks, while Solana funds drew roughly $14 million in inflows and XRP saw smaller additions. The pattern points to investor rotation from BTC and ETH toward select altcoins.

Ethereum is showing relative strength on an inverted price chart, but an analyst known as Mizer still views the higher time frame trend as bearish until a key parabolic curve is broken. He outlines two possible outcomes from the current consolidation and sets downside targets near $1,700 and $1,400, warning that losing a crucial flip zone on the inverted chart would invalidate the setup and imply a broader trend shift.