Ethereum hits 15.19M users, but where does leverage stand now?

ambcryptoPublished on 2026-02-09Last updated on 2026-02-09

Abstract

Ethereum's network activity has surged, reaching a record 15.19 million monthly active addresses—a 38% increase over the past month and a 114% year-over-year rise. Despite this on-chain growth, trader sentiment and market behavior remain unsettled. Funding rates have turned positive on exchanges like BitMEX, hitting 0.049%, indicating aggressive long positioning and rising leverage. However, this has not translated into significant price gains, with ETH stabilizing in the $2,000–$2,200 range. The RSI shows short-term relief, but with leverage building and spot demand uncertain, the risk of a pullback remains if crowded long positions unwind.

Ethereum [ETH] network activity is picking up pace. At the same time, market positioning feels far less settled. Especially since sentiment is swinging so quickly right now!

This split between what’s happening on-chain and how traders are behaving makes things interesting for ETH.

Activity at a record high

Monthly active addresses on Ethereum climbed to 15.19 million – A new ATH! The jump has been huge and consistent; activity is up 38% over the past month, 71% across the last six months, and a striking 114% YOY.

Source: X

More users are interacting with the Ethereum network again too, whether through transfers, applications, or smart contracts. The pace of the recovery has been striking, especially after a tame stretch late last year.

Put simply, Ethereum is up and at it!

Is the Funding now crowded?

Funding rates have swung positively on some exchanges, most notably BitMEX. Its ETH funding rate jumped to 0.049%, the highest level since October and well above the late-October peak near 0.03%.

There’s been aggressive long positioning and rising leverage across the board.

Source: Cryptoquant

At the same time, Binance seemed interesting too. ETH funding there moved from deeply negative levels around -0.025% on 05 February, back towards neutral. Shorts are backing off too, while new Open Interest is being powered by longs.

So far, such positive funding hasn’t caused upside. However, it does raise the risk of pullbacks if crowded long positions are forced to unwind.

Stable, but no breakout… yet

After the most recent sell-off, ETH has found temporary footing around the $2,000-$2,200 zone. This range-bound move makes clear that selling pressure has eased. Even so, buyers aren’t quite convinced just yet.

Source: TradingView

The RSI lifted to the low 30s, a short-term relief. Volume also calmed down after the recent spike. So, the urgency may be fading, perhaps.

With leverage building in derivatives and the price still fragile, the next move might be dependent on spot demand.


Final Thoughts

  • Ethereum’s on-chain use just hit a record 15.19M active addresses!
  • BitMEX funding was at 0.049%, with the altcoin’s price stuck on the charts. 
Next: Aave’s $4.65B stress engine – From Bitcoin liquidation shock to protocol yield!
Share
  • Share
  • Tweet

Trending Cryptos

Related Questions

QWhat is the new all-time high for monthly active addresses on the Ethereum network mentioned in the article?

AThe new all-time high for monthly active addresses on the Ethereum network is 15.19 million.

QAccording to the article, what was the year-over-year (YOY) growth in Ethereum's network activity?

AThe year-over-year (YOY) growth in Ethereum's network activity was a striking 114%.

QOn which exchange did the ETH funding rate jump to 0.049%, its highest level since October?

AThe ETH funding rate jumped to 0.049% on BitMEX, which was its highest level since October.

QWhat price zone did Ethereum find temporary footing in after the most recent sell-off?

AAfter the most recent sell-off, Ethereum found temporary footing in the $2,000-$2,200 price zone.

QWhat does the article suggest the next price move for ETH might be dependent on, given the building leverage and fragile price?

AThe article suggests that the next price move for ETH might be dependent on spot demand, given the building leverage in derivatives and the still fragile price.

Related Reads

After Three Consecutive Quarters of Decline, Can the Crypto Market Find a Window for Stabilization in Q3?

The cryptocurrency market has just concluded its worst-performing quarter since 2022, with total capitalization dropping 12.6% to $2.1 trillion. All core metrics indicate capital is leaving the sector, not just rotating within it. Bitcoin fell 14.2% and Ethereum dropped 25.4% in Q2, breaking their previous correlation with US tech stocks. A key driver is the reversal in US spot Bitcoin ETF flows, which saw a net outflow of approximately $4.67 billion in Q2, including a record monthly outflow near $4.5 billion in June. While recent data suggests long-term holders are accumulating again, sustained ETF outflows mean continued selling pressure. Market focus is now singularly on the Federal Reserve. The upcoming July FOMC meeting is seen as the most critical event for Q3. A dovish signal could support Bitcoin reclaiming a $68,000-$84,000 range, while a hawkish stance might establish a new trading band around $50,000-$56,000. Additionally, regulatory uncertainty persists, with the progress of the crucial *CLARITY Act* stalling in the Senate, reducing its perceived 2026 passage probability to 40-45%. Despite the broad downturn, a few sectors showed growth. Prediction markets saw nominal volume surge 48.7% year-over-year to $113.8 billion, and tokenized collectibles transaction volume rose 143% quarterly to $1.4 billion. The Real-World Asset (RWA) tokenization sector also continued steady growth, now representing ~$28.1 billion in on-chain value. The market's foundation for an extreme crash appears limited, with Bitcoin price hovering near its 200-week moving average. However, the trading paradigm has shifted from narrative-driven speculation to decisions based on price action, policy developments, and interest rate expectations, making a broad sentiment-driven rally unlikely in the near term.

marsbit1h ago

After Three Consecutive Quarters of Decline, Can the Crypto Market Find a Window for Stabilization in Q3?

marsbit1h ago

BIT Trading Moment: BTC Still Suppressed by Weekly 200 EMA, Rejection May Restart Decline; Storage and Semiconductors that Surged Last Night Begin Falling in Evening Trading

**Crypto & Stock Market Wrap: Bitcoin Tests Resistance, Stocks Retreat After AI Surge** Bitcoin consolidates around $66,000, facing key resistance near $68,000—an area seen as a major psychological and technical hurdle where previous rallies have failed. Analysts note the cryptocurrency is caught between its 200-week moving average (~$63,333) and 200-week EMA (~$68,328). A clear break above $68k is needed to signal a stronger bullish trend, while a rejection could lead to a retest of $63k support. Market sentiment remains cautious, with low futures open interest pointing to a low-liquidity rebound rather than a full bull market. Bitcoin spot ETFs saw another $203 million inflow. US stock futures pointed lower after a strong Tuesday session led by a massive rebound in semiconductors and memory stocks. The rally was fueled by renewed optimism about AI-driven hardware demand, with Micron, SanDisk, and SK Hynix surging. However, those gains reversed in pre-market trading. Super Micro Computer (SMCI) soared over 20% after hours on strong guidance and a record backlog. Other standouts included Rocket Lab and nuclear energy plays Oklo and X-Energy. Rising oil prices (Brent above $91) and climbing Treasury yields (10-year near 4.64%), however, are reigniting inflation concerns and acting as a headwind for equities. In Asia, markets were mixed. South Korea's KOSPI pared early gains to close slightly higher as semiconductor stocks like SK Hynix gave back initial surges. Japan's Nikkei edged lower as the yen hit a fresh 38-year low against the dollar, raising fears of potential market intervention. Key events to watch include the Samsung Galaxy launch, AMD's AI event, and a slew of major tech earnings from Alphabet, Tesla, and IBM after the close on Wednesday, followed by the ECB meeting and Intel's earnings on Thursday.

marsbit2h ago

BIT Trading Moment: BTC Still Suppressed by Weekly 200 EMA, Rejection May Restart Decline; Storage and Semiconductors that Surged Last Night Begin Falling in Evening Trading

marsbit2h ago

Former CFTC Chairman, Circle President Tarbert: Preaching Long-Termism While Cashing Out $30 Million Himself

Former CFTC Chairman and Circle President Heath Tarbert has consistently advocated for a long-term vision in public, urging patience from investors as Circle’s stock price has fallen significantly from its peak. However, it has been revealed that since Circle’s IPO, Tarbert has continuously sold his CRCL shares through pre-arranged trading plans, cashing out approximately $30 million, without making any public market purchases. This contrast between his public messaging and personal actions has drawn criticism. Tarbert joined Circle in July 2023 as Chief Legal Officer, leveraging his regulatory experience to help guide the company through its IPO and expansion. Despite promoting stablecoins as long-term infrastructure, he established a 10b5-1 trading plan just before Circle went public, leading to substantial stock sales over the following year. In March 2026, he initiated another plan to sell more shares. His career trajectory highlights a pattern of moving between high-level regulatory roles and influential positions in the financial sector. After resigning as CFTC Chairman in early 2021, he joined Citadel Securities as Chief Legal Officer just 27 days later, during a period of intense regulatory scrutiny for the firm. He later joined Circle, aiding its efforts to navigate regulatory challenges for its public listing. While Tarbert's expertise in policy and compliance is valuable to companies like Circle, his actions—advocating long-term confidence while personally divesting—raise questions about the alignment between his public statements and his private financial decisions, leaving investors who followed his advice to bear the market risks.

marsbit2h ago

Former CFTC Chairman, Circle President Tarbert: Preaching Long-Termism While Cashing Out $30 Million Himself

marsbit2h ago

Gate Research Institute: The 'Wall Street-ization' Wave of Crypto Financial Products – Competition or Integration?

The article titled "Gate Research Institute: Are Crypto Financial Products Sparking a 'Wall Street' Wave—Competition or Convergence?" explores the evolving relationship between the crypto ecosystem and traditional finance (TradFi). The piece begins by reflecting on Bitcoin's original 2009 vision of decentralization, disintermediation, and moving away from banks. It then contrasts this with the 2024 landscape, where key crypto assets like Bitcoin are increasingly held through Wall Street products like ETFs issued by giants like BlackRock. The article questions whether this signifies that TradFi is systematically taking over the rights to issue, price, custody, and distribute crypto financial assets. The core argument is that this is not a zero-sum takeover but rather a bidirectional convergence where each side addresses the other's weaknesses. Crypto offers 24/7 global markets, programmable settlement, and open access but lacks compliant channels, institutional-grade custody, deep fiat liquidity, and mainstream distribution. TradFi possesses these but is constrained by legacy systems, limited operating hours, and slow settlement. Two primary convergence paths are highlighted: * **Path A (CEX to TradFi):** Exemplified by Gate, which has progressed from offering tokenized stocks and CFDs to providing direct, real stock trading (US, Hong Kong, South Korea) within its platform, using USDT. * **Path B (TradFi to Crypto):** Exemplified by Robinhood, which has integrated crypto trading, acquired exchanges like Bitstamp, and is moving traditional assets like stocks onto the blockchain via tokenization and its own Layer 2. Both paths are ultimately competing to become the next-generation, unified financial account—a "super account" where users can seamlessly trade cryptocurrencies, stocks, ETFs, RWA (Real World Assets), and tokenized treasury products in one interface. The growth of RWA and tokenized treasuries (e.g., BlackRock's BUIDL) is presented as the asset-layer fusion, providing stable, yield-bearing assets on-chain and acting as a bridge between the two worlds. In conclusion, the "Wall Street-ization" of crypto is framed as a mutual transformation. Decentralized ideals persist in the protocol layer, while at the application layer, a more efficient, global, and accessible unified capital market is emerging from this convergence. The future competition lies not between crypto exchanges and stockbrokers, but between platforms vying to offer the most comprehensive asset coverage, liquidity, and user experience within a single account.

marsbit2h ago

Gate Research Institute: The 'Wall Street-ization' Wave of Crypto Financial Products – Competition or Integration?

marsbit2h ago

Trading

Spot

Hot Articles

Discussions

Welcome to the HTX Community. Here, you can stay informed about the latest platform developments and gain access to professional market insights. Users' opinions on the price of ETH (ETH) are presented below.

活动图片