Ethereum Market Deep Dive: Upgrade Expectations Support the Price—Opportunities Amid Mixed Long/Short Signals

September 20, 2026

I. Price Trend Analysis

As of the early hours of September 20 (Beijing time), Ethereum’s spot price is $2,628.5. Over the past few hours, it has fluctuated within an extremely narrow range of $2,620 to $2,638. From the hourly K-line, after touching a short-term high of $2,638, ETH has pulled back slightly. Trading volume has been gradually shrinking, indicating the market is in a wait-and-see mode.

Ethereum has recently broken through the important psychological level of $2,600, reaching the highest point since January of this year. This breakout is mainly driven by three factors: first, the boost from expectations around the GlAmsterdam upgrade; second, whales’ continued accumulation; and third, the number of non-zero wallets hitting a historic high of 207.17 million, suggesting that network participation in Ethereum is steadily expanding. However, long-term holders have taken profit of roughly $60 million after the price broke above $2,600, implying near-term pressure from profit-taking.

II. Interpretation of Technical Indicators

Regarding moving averages, the 7-day moving average is $2,630, while the 25-day moving average is $2,633. The current price is slightly below both lines, and the short-term moving averages are flattening. The 99-day moving average is at $2,507, far below the current price, indicating the long- and mid-term upward channel remains intact. Notably, the 7-day EMA is at $2,630, and the 25-day EMA is at $2,623. Short-term averages have begun flattening, or even slightly turning downward, so investors should be alert to the risk of a near-term pullback.

The MACD indicator shows the fast line at 9.36, the slow line at 15.23, and the histogram at -5.87. The MACD fast line continues to remain below the slow line, suggesting bearish short-term momentum. But similar to Bitcoin, the negative histogram is gradually narrowing, hinting that bearish momentum may be losing strength.

In terms of the RSI, the 6-period RSI has fallen to 29.74, entering the oversold zone. The 12-period RSI is at 47.68, hovering in neutral-to-weak territory. The 24-period RSI is 60.04, maintaining a moderately bullish stance. The oversold condition of the short-cycle RSI suggests there may be a need for a technical rebound in the near term.

The KDJ indicator is deeply oversold: the K value is only 19.95, the D value is 25.30, and the J value is 9.27, with all three lines at extremely low levels. Based on historical experience, once KDJ enters such a deep oversold area, a rebound and short-term correction are often observed.

For the Bollinger Bands, the upper band is $2,650, the middle band is $2,636, and the lower band is $2,622. Price is trading near the middle band, and the band width is tightening. The William’s indicator (WR) has dropped to -88.82, confirming the oversold condition as well. ATR volatility has fallen to 14.3, at a recent low, indicating the market is accumulating energy and waiting for a direction to be chosen.

III. Market Sentiment Analysis

Ethereum’s current overall market sentiment is leaning optimistic, but there are disagreements in the short term. On-chain data shows that large entities are actively accumulating Ethereum. For example, one address has added 9,000 ETH, and another has established a long position of 10,000 ETH, reflecting institutional confidence in Ethereum’s long-term prospects. The ETHA fund under BlackRock saw a daily inflow of $114.32 million, leading all Ethereum ETF products.

However, U.S. Ethereum funds have recorded net outflows for two consecutive days, totaling $366 million. This suggests some mainstream institutions may be choosing to take profits at the current price levels. The coexistence of ETF outflows and whale accumulation reflects strategic differences among different investor groups.

For technical upgrades, the GlAmsterdam upgrade plan will be deployed to the Sepolia testnet on October 6. The goal is to raise the block Gas limit from 60 million to 200 million, achieving a threefold increase in throughput. Mainnet deployment is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2026. This upgrade will significantly reduce transaction costs and improve network performance, providing strong support for Ethereum’s competitiveness in areas such as DeFi, NFTs, and RWA.

In addition, the innovative exemption plan introduced by the SEC allows tokenized U.S. stocks to be traded on-chain. As the leading smart contract platform, Ethereum will directly benefit from this regulatory tailwind. The event in which a UNI whale spent $9 million to buy 1 million UNI also indirectly reflects the booming DeFi ecosystem under policy-positive conditions. Analysts note that if Bitcoin breaks its all-time high, capital may rotate to Ethereum and smaller-to-mid-cap tokens, and the total market cap of the crypto market could move toward $10–12 trillion.

Quick Look at Popular Tokens

CELR: current price $0.0004286; 24-hour change +87.57%
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G: current price $0.001097; 24-hour change +51.52%

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