This Cohort of Ethereum Whales Accumulates Record 57.35% of Supply
2024-12-17
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Amidst Ethereum’s rally this week, there has been a notable shift in its supply distribution. Large ETH wallets are accumulating aggressively, reaching an all-time high in supply ownership. Mid-tier and small wallet holdings hit record lows.
On the upside, institutional inflows and historical trends suggest Ethereum has room for further growth despite market volatility.Ethereum Whales Strengthen Holdings
According to Santiment’s latest analysis, whale wallets holding at least 100K ETH now own an all-time high of 57.35% of the total supply, which is worth approximately $333.1 billion. These 104 large wallets reflect growing confidence among Ethereum’s largest stakeholders as they continue accumulating despite market volatility.
On the other hand, mid-tier wallets holding between 100 and 100K ETH have dropped to their lowest-ever supply ratio at 33.46%, while addresses with fewer than 100 ETH sit at a near four-year low of 9.19%. While the broader Ethereum ecosystem includes a rising number of DeFi and staking wallets, this trend generally signals a bullish long-term outlook, the on-chain analytic platform said in its latest analysis.
For a mature, nine-year-old asset like Ethereum, such sustained accumulation by key stakeholders suggests growing conviction and reduced sell pressure from whales, which often aligns with positive market sentiment over time.
The whale activity comes as the cryptocurrency broke yet another record that pushed its YTD gains to almost 80%. It hit $4,106 on Monday before dipping slightly to $4,020 at the time of writing. Despite this, the leading altcoin remains 22% below its all-time high of $4,878, set in November 2021, but experts suggest that it might still have room for significant growth.Room for Growth
According to crypto analyst Ali Martinez’s update, Ethereum’s price movements historically correlate with shifts in long-term holder sentiment. In the past two bull cycles, ETH saw parabolic price surges when long-term holders entered the “greed” phase. Currently, these holders are in the early stages of the “belief” phase, essentially which indicates they are just starting to feel optimistic about the asset’s price potential.
However, this still appears to be far from the euphoric peaks that typically mark the beginning of explosive rallies. If history repeats itself, this suggests that Ethereum’s major upward move could still be on the horizon as long-term investor sentiment strengthens.
Adding to the positive momentum, Ethereum-based investment products have recorded seven consecutive weeks of inflows. CoinShares’datarevealed that these products attracted a total of $3.7 billion during this period. Notably, $1 billion flowed in just last week, highlighting steady institutional interest and confidence.