Ethereum Price Outlook – ETH Likely to Retest Prices Below $1500

Highlights:

• Ethereum bears are regaining control as bulls fail at $1597.5 resistance
• Failure to breach resistance is indicative of weakness in Ethereum’s demand
• Concerns around Ethereum’s long-term trajectory driving price weakness

Ethereum is experiencing renewed bearish pressure, trading at $1,573.09 and dipping 1.06% over the day. This, while Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have shown some bullish sentiment. While crypto markets are dynamic within short time frames, analysts are worried about Ethereum’s long-term prospects.

Confluence of Negative Factors Could Send Ethereum Price Lower

One of the primary factors contributing to the worry is the ongoing geo-economic tensions. The ongoing back-and-forth tariffs between the US and China have sent shockwaves through markets everywhere. Ethereum is particularly susceptible because it was already showing weak price action when the rest of the market was booming. 

BREAKING: China just doubled down and just retaliated with 125% tariff in response to Trump’s 145% yesterday.
Effective immediately.

It seems things will continue to escalate for the immediate future. pic.twitter.com/wPFiuzKzoM

— Diligent Denizen (@DiligentDenizen) April 11, 2025

Another troubling concern is Ethereum’s declining importance in the decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem. Ethereum used to be the unequivocal leader in DeFi activity but is now witnessing its dominance eroded by more nimble and cheaper alternatives such as Solana. These layer-1 platforms win favor among developers and users because of their lower fees and higher throughput.

Ethereum’s midlife crisis: Down 50% & losing ground to Solana & Cardano. Can the DeFi king reclaim its throne, or is it the MySpace of blockchain? Let’s unpack its struggles! #Ethereum #Crypto #DeFihttps://t.co/Ht2A65qGLE

— Pardeep (@Pardeep_Bains) April 2, 2025

Ethereum’s price action also raises long-term issues besides market perceptions and competition within the ecosystem. Since peaking at almost $4,800 in November 2021, ETH hasn’t been able to climb back up consistently during any of the cycles. Even major upgrades like the Dencun hard fork fail to maintain bullish momentum.

SEC Approval of Ethereum ETF Options a Potential Lifeline

Regardless of these bearish metrics, some factors could strengthen Ethereum’s momentum. One of them is the recently approved Ethereum options trading by the SEC on some spot Ethereum exchange-traded funds (ETFs), including BlackRock’s iShares and Grayscale’s Ethereum Trust. These options are set to be listed on NYSE American and Nasdaq ISE.

BREAKING:

SEC APPROVES OPTIONS TRADING ON SPOT $ETH ETFS

BULLISH FOR ETHEREUM pic.twitter.com/illfSS4S79

— CryptoGoos (@crypto_goos) April 9, 2025

Ethereum ETF options presented by the SEC might act as a much-needed catalyst. These proposed instruments add several risk management strategies for investors, all with the option of gaining exposure to ETH without purchasing the digital asset directly. Greater exposure to such derivative products is believed to lead to better liquidity, price discovery, and enhanced participation from institutional investors in Ethereum-focused investment products.

Cosmos’s Ethereum Integration Brings Hope for Interoperability Growth

Ethereum’s value proposition could also be supported in the long term by broader ecosystem integration blockchain synergies. Cosmos, a network working towards achieving interplay between multiple blockchains, recently announced “Eureka,” a new interoperability layer bridging Cosmos Inter-Blockchain Communication (IBC) with Ethereum.

dYdX is integrating IBC Eureka to connect with Ethereum – enabling smooth asset and user flow from Ethereum, Solana, and L2s like Base.

This upgrade also unlocks new features like Spot Trading and Multi-Asset Margining on dYdX.

Bridge on IBC Eureka https://t.co/G9z4pEW3gr pic.twitter.com/VgVEq62ka5

— dYdX (@dYdX) April 10, 2025

Eureka lets developers build multichain apps without relying on liquidity-fragmenting bridges. Eureka seeks to facilitate native interoperability and integration of discordant blockchain ecosystems by directly connecting Cosmos-based apps with the Ethereum network on which they are built.

Technical Analysis – Ethereum Price Bulls Losing Momentum Below Resistance

Ethereum gained ground for the better part of the day. However, it appears to be losing momentum below the $1597.5 resistance. This is an indicator of weakness, and bears could retake control with more volume.

 In such a case, Ethereum could retest the intraday support of $1494.2. On the flip side, if bulls regain control and push Ethereum through the $1597.5 resistance, a rally to $1700 could follow. 

Recap

Ethereum is currently at an inflection point. The combination of macroeconomic strife, waning DeFi market share, and fundamental fractures have put Ethereum’s growth at risk. However, latent narratives concerning regulatory endorsement and improved interoperability provide the potential for Ethereum’s recovery, corroborating optimism for its long-term outlook.