Traders in Disbelief of Ether Rally Are Selling to Whales

Social media chatter shows retail traders are in disbelief about Ether’s recent rally and are selling off their holdings to be scooped up by large crypto buyers, says the crypto sentiment-tracking platform Santiment.

“Traders have shown FUD [fear, uncertainty and doubt] and disbelief as the asset makes higher and higher prices,” Santiment said in an X post on Tuesday, showing that bearish social media commentary on Ether (ETH) outweighs bullish remarks.

Ether showing “very little sentiment resistance”

Santiment explained that prices often move in the opposite direction to retail traders’ expectations. When too many traders turn overly bullish, it can signal greed in the market, which has historically been followed by sharp sell-offs.

“There was an instance of extreme greed back on June 16, 2025, and July 30, 2025, which led to price corrections,” Santiment said.

Both retracements followed a significant drawdown earlier this year. Only in April did Ether plunge 60% from its January high, falling below $2,000, according to CoinMarketCap.

However, Santiment said that smaller retail traders are showing more fear in the current rally, leading them to sell off their Ether holdings. 

“With key stakeholders accumulating loose coins that small ETH traders are willing to part with right now, prices are showing very little sentiment resistance from breaking through and making history in the near future,” Santiment said.

Onchain analysis platform Glassnode said on Monday that short-term Ether holders have been selling more than long-term holders, which could mean short-term traders expect a price pullback.

Traders anticipate higher prices for Ether

Ether is approximately 5.53% off its all-time high of $4,878, which it hasn’t reclaimed since reaching it in November 2021. Ether is trading at $4,622 at the time of publication, up 7.95% over the past 24 hours. 

Related: Ether futures open interest hits all-time high as ETH price tops $4.5K — Will it last?

While some traders believe Ether has peaked, other traders forecast its price to go much higher in the near term. 

Crypto trader Ted said Ether “is about to break out of its 4-yr sideways range, and people are calling for top.” 

Meanwhile, crypto trader Inmortal said, Ether is “escaping the force of gravity, be ready for $10000.”

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This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.