Ethereum has traded within an ascending channel and held above $3k for over 10 consecutive days. This is the first prolonged period above $3k since it dropped to $2.6k in mid-November 2025.
At press time, ETH traded at $3,312, down 0.55% on the daily chart but up 5.46% on the weekly chart.
With Ethereum in a suitable market environment, the 2026 outlook looks promising, and institutions have positioned themselves for another rally.
Ethereum ETFs signal a shift in market sentiment
Ethereum rallied from a low of $1.5k to $4.9k between April and August 2025, as institutions turned to aggressive accumulation.
In fact, ETH Spot ETFs recorded net inflows between mid-April and early May, then a few days of outflows.
From May 12 to mid-August, the altcoin’s Spot ETFs recorded outflows for only four days. This period coincided with a massive rally in ETH prices.
In the fourth quarter, market sentiment shifted, and outflows began to dominate. Now in 2026, capital has started to flow into ETH ETFs once again.
Source: CoinGlass
Since the start of the year, Ethereum Spot ETFs have recorded outflows for only three days, reflecting increased capital flows.
On the 14th of January, for example, ETH Spot ETFs recorded $175 million in net inflows, with total net assets reaching $20.8 billion.
Ethereum treasuries hold with conviction
Besides Ethereum ETFs, the altcoin treasury companies are also actively betting on another market rally. ETH treasuries, led by Bitmine, have aggressively accumulated ETH over the last few months, even during Q4’s slip.
As such, Bitmine increased its holdings to 4.06 million ETH, valued at $13.4 billion, reflecting strong market conviction.
In total, Ethereum treasuries now hold 6.81 million ETH worth $22.57 billion, or 5.63% of the total circulating supply.
Source: Strategic Eth Reserve
Interestingly, even when ETH showed weakness, these treasuries, rather than selling, shifted to staking for yield.
For example, Sharplink gaming, with over 800k ETH staked, generated over $33 million in revenue over the past seven months.
Likewise, Bitmine increased its staked share, rising to 1.6 million ETH, valued at approximately $5.65 billion.
With Ethereum DATs refusing to sell, it signals strong conviction, as they bet on another record-breaking rally.
Is ETH at $12k realistic in 2026?
Despite ETH trading around $3k, way below its 2025 peaks of $4.9k, Ethereum institutional investors have bet on a potential rally to $12k.
One such investor is Bitmine’s Tom Lee, who has backed his prediction with aggressive ETH accumulation, betting on a rally to $12k.
In the short term, however, AMBCrypto observed, this prediction is highly unlikely. Based on Future Grand Trend and Forecasting indicators, Ethereum could reclaim $3.6k in the short term if the current uptrend continues.
Source: TradingView
Based on this bullish outlook, if ETFs and DATs accumulate as in early 2025, ETH could flip $5k and rally to $5.3k by June 2026.
Equally, holding other factors constant, the most bullish case for 2026 is $6.5k based on the Future Grand trend.
For this bullish outlook to hold, the altcoin must stay above a $3.3k base; failure to do so triggers its bearish case for 2026 at $2.5k.
Final Thoughts
- Ethereum [ETH] has traded within an ascending channel since it reclaimed $3k levels nearly two weeks ago.
- Institutional investors have increased capital deployment as they eye a rally to $12k, though $6.5k remains the most bullish case for 2026.