Ethereum ETF net inflow of $2.6 billion in December, continuous growth for 8 weeks, can ETH return to glory this year?

In this bull market, Ethereum's performance has been lackluster, and whether it can break new highs in 2025 is the focus of many investors. This article整理 some analysts' viewpoints and looks at the current data on Ethereum ETFs. (Background: Ethereum's three major positive news, analysts: Trump will make ETH great again) (Background information: Is the Ethereum altcoin season here? Bitcoin's market share is declining, and ETH/BTC rebounds to a one-week high) In this bull market, Ethereum's performance has not met market expectations, and it has yet to break last bull market's peak, even struggling to reach the $4,000 level. In contrast, Bitcoin has continuously set new highs, even briefly breaking $108,000, leading to a continuous decline in ETH/BTC... However, with the arrival of the new year, more and more analysts are optimistic that Ethereum will return to glory this year. Below we will整理 their viewpoints and look at the relevant data. Ethereum spot ETF continues to see net inflows for 8 weeks First, regarding Ethereum spot ETFs, the previously sluggish trading conditions improved in November last year, achieving a continuous 8-week net inflow, with December's scale reaching $2.6 billion. Although it still lags behind Bitcoin spot ETFs (with a net inflow of over $35 billion in 2024), some analysts believe that this situation may reverse in 2025, especially if ETH's price performance is strong and regulatory agencies allow funds to generate returns through staking ETH. Three major reasons Ethereum is expected to break new highs next year In this context, cryptocurrency trader Eugene Ng Ah Sio, who has over 110,000 followers on X, posted over the weekend that there are three reasons why Ethereum will be the biggest beneficiary in the first quarter of 2025: 1. Ethereum's price increase is significantly lagging: Bitcoin (BTC) has increased by 40% from its previous all-time high (ATH), while Ethereum (ETH) is still 30% below its ATH. Although this in itself does not have much indicative significance, both have ETF products, and for the general public, ETH appears cheaper than BTC, making it more likely to be viewed as having upward potential. 2. Trump's pro-crypto policy: The Trump administration has always been the most friendly towards practical and smart contract-related assets. We have seen some DeFi assets (such as AAVE and UNI) perform well due to market expectations, but the biggest beneficiary remains Ethereum. Trump's WLFI has not ventured into the Solana realm but continues to choose Ethereum-based assets, and Eugene believes this trend will continue. 3. Development of the Base ecosystem: Among all Ethereum Layer 2 networks (L2), Base is the standout chain this year. With the help of Coinbase's native distribution channels and AI agent ecosystems driven by Virtuals, Base offers a value proposition very similar to Solana and can undoubtedly be classified as a competitor. Since Base itself does not have its own token, the natural demand for ETH as the underlying asset will increase, leading to more positive inflows as ecosystem activity grows. Driven by these three major factors, Eugene predicts that ETH could break $4,000 as early as January next year and is expected to reach an all-time high in the first quarter. 10x Research: Ethereum may struggle to achieve meaningful rebounds in 2025 However, not all analysts are optimistic. Markus Thielen, head of research at 10x Research, stated that Ethereum might not be the smartest investment choice for the 2025 bull market: While new catalysts cannot be ruled out, we would not be surprised if Ethereum struggles to achieve meaningful rebounds next year... Thielen believes ETH remains a poor mid-term investment and expects ETH's performance to lag behind BTC again in 2025. He pointed out that the growth rate of Ethereum validators has turned negative, declining by about 1% in the past 30 days, raising concerns about the increasing risk of more validators exiting the network. Although the author believes that the decline in the number of validators will not pose too much concern for network security in the short term, and that Trump's administration is expected to allow funds to stake ETH, I also understand that it is indeed more difficult for the market to understand Ethereum's positioning compared to Bitcoin, and the emergence of numerous L1 and L2 public chains in the market has indeed put competitive pressure on Ethereum. How ETH will develop in the new year, Dongqu will continue to track for you. Related reports: Bitcoin and Ethereum OTC market trading volume surges! Institutional investment frenzy surges in. Analysis) Has the Korean stock market really been harmed by Bitcoin? Is the Ethereum altcoin season here? Bitcoin's market share declines, and ETH/BTC rebounds to a one-week high "Ethereum ETF net inflow of $2.6 billion in December, continuous growth for 8 weeks, can ETH return to glory this year?" This article was first published in Dongqu BlockTempo (Dongqu Dongqu - the most influential blockchain news media).