Grayscale buys $76 million worth of Ethereum in anticipation of CME’s Ether futures launch


  • Grayscale's purchase of more ETH comes after reopening the Ethereum Trust to investors.
  • CME Ethereum futures contracts are set to launch on Monday, February 8.
  • Ethereum whales are on a buying spree as they capitalize on the bull run.

Grayscale Investments, the world's leading digital fund manager, has bought more Ethereum. The firm's uptake of Bitcoin from late last years was connected to the bull run the pioneer cryptocurrency experienced in December and January. There seems to be a consistent shift to Ethereum as the asset rallies to a new high after a new high.

Are investors shifting the focus to Ethereum?

Ethereum Trust (OTCQX: ETHE) is the vehicle investors use to get into the cryptocurrency market with Grayscale. The company reopened the trust on Monday, allowing new investors to come while others increase their shareholding.

According to the investment firm, Ethereum Trust had over $4 billion in assets by January 29. This week's $76 million purchase came before the reopening of the trust, implying that investor interest in Ethereum was growing at an exceptional rate.

Ethereum goes ballistic ahead of CME Ether futures

Ethereum extended the bullish leg to a new all-time high at $1,700 this week. The majestic move was anticipated by many in the market who still believe that Ethereum is nowhere near the top. A retreat came into the picture forcing ETH to revisit levels under $1,600. However, a recovery soon came into the picture, placing Ether back on the upward trajectory.

ETH/USD

ETH/USD 4-hour chart

Investor sentiment is extremely positive for Ethereum and could rise higher ahead of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) Ethereum futures launch scheduled for Monday, February 8. Futures contracts allow investors to participate in buying and selling cryptocurrencies without owning the underlying digital asset. It also means that trading takes place on a regulated platform.

Ethereum whales on a buying spree

A significant drop in the number of large volume holders of Ethereum was evident toward the end of January. However, Santiment's holder distribution shows that whales started streaming in from the beginning of February, explaining the rally to new all-time highs.

The number of addresses holding between 100,000 and 10 million ETH shot up from 154 on February 3 to 158 on February 5. This increase may seem minor at first, but the ETH volume is massive enough to add to the buying pressure significantly.

Ethereum holder distribution

Ethereum holder distribution

Peter Brandt, a prominent trader and investor, recently said he was willing to convert half of his Bitcoin holdings to Ethereum. He believes that Ethereum has a long way to go. Experts predict that Ethereum may hit $2,000 before the launch of CME Ether futures.


Information on these pages contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Markets and instruments profiled on this page are for informational purposes only and should not in any way come across as a recommendation to buy or sell in these assets. You should do your own thorough research before making any investment decisions. FXStreet does not in any way guarantee that this information is free from mistakes, errors, or material misstatements. It also does not guarantee that this information is of a timely nature. Investing in Open Markets involves a great deal of risk, including the loss of all or a portion of your investment, as well as emotional distress. All risks, losses and costs associated with investing, including total loss of principal, are your responsibility. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of FXStreet nor its advertisers. The author will not be held responsible for information that is found at the end of links posted on this page.

If not otherwise explicitly mentioned in the body of the article, at the time of writing, the author has no position in any stock mentioned in this article and no business relationship with any company mentioned. The author has not received compensation for writing this article, other than from FXStreet.

FXStreet and the author do not provide personalized recommendations. The author makes no representations as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability of this information. FXStreet and the author will not be liable for any errors, omissions or any losses, injuries or damages arising from this information and its display or use. Errors and omissions excepted.

The author and FXStreet are not registered investment advisors and nothing in this article is intended to be investment advice.

Join Telegram

Recommended content


Recommended Content

Editors’ Picks

Base attracts Lion’s share of Ethereum deposits among Layer 2 chains, beats Optimism in TVL

Base attracts Lion’s share of Ethereum deposits among Layer 2 chains, beats Optimism in TVL

Base, Coinbase’s Ethereum Layer 2 chain, has noted a spike in inflows to its blockchain this week. Nearly $20 million in Ether flowed into Base since Monday, nearly two times that of Arbitrum and five times as much as Optimism, its competitors in the scaling ecosystem. 

More Cryptocurrencies News

SEC vs. Ripple lawsuit sees redacted filing go public, XRP dips to $0.51

SEC vs. Ripple lawsuit sees redacted filing go public, XRP dips to $0.51

Ripple lawsuit develops further as redacted version of SEC filing goes public. Ripple, SEC and related parties will file motions to seal material from the remedies-related filings by May 13.

More Ripple News

FET suffers 2% decline as whales deposit Fetch.AI tokens to exchanges

FET suffers 2% decline as whales deposit Fetch.AI tokens to exchanges

Fetch.AI (FET) token will be the reserve currency of the Superintelligence Alliance (ASI), a merge of three Artificial Intelligence (AI) projects: Fetch.AI, Ocean protocol and SingularityNET. 

More Cryptocurrencies News

Ethereum resume sideways move as Grayscale files to withdraw Ethereum futures ETF application with the SEC

Ethereum resume sideways move as Grayscale files to withdraw Ethereum futures ETF application with the SEC

Grayscale has withdrawn its 19b-4 application for an Ethereum futures ETF. SEC Chair Gensler says several crypto assets are securities as he waives off ETH classification question.

More Ethereum News

Bitcoin: Should you buy BTC here? Premium

Bitcoin: Should you buy BTC here?

Bitcoin (BTC) price shows signs of a potential reversal but lacks confirmation, which has divided the investor community into two – those who are buying the dips and those who are expecting a further correction.

Read full analysis

BTC

ETH

XRP