Matt Hougan believes that Ethereum will hit new highs by the end of the year.
Written by Matt Hougan, Chief Investment Officer at Bitwise
Compiled by Luffy, Foresight News
Everyone wants to know what will happen to the price of Ethereum after the launch of the spot ETP (note: ETF is a type of ETP). My prediction is that the inflow of funds into the Ethereum ETP will drive the price to a new all-time high of over $5,000.
Of course, this won’t happen immediately, and I think there may be some volatility in the first few weeks as funds from the $11 billion Grayscale Ethereum Trust (ETHE) flow out after the conversion to an ETP. But I believe that Ethereum will hit new highs by the end of the year. If the flow exceeds expectations, the price of Ethereum may be higher.
Supply and demand is everything
The best way to estimate the potential impact of ETP issuance on Ethereum price is to analyze supply and demand. ETP will not change Ethereum fundamentals, but it does bring new sources of demand.
Consider what happened to the price of Bitcoin after the launch of the Spot Bitcoin ETP in January. Since that day, Bitcoin ETPs have purchased more than twice as many Bitcoins as miners have produced:
- Bitcoin purchased with ETP: 263,965
- Bitcoins produced by miners: 129,181
So, the price of Bitcoin is up. Since the Bitcoin ETP launched on January 11, Bitcoin has risen about 25%. If you count from October 2023, when the market starts pricing in the Bitcoin ETP in advance, Bitcoin has risen more than 110%.
Bitcoin returns since January 2023. Source: Bitwise Asset Management
Will we see the same impact on Ethereum? Yes, I think the impact will likely be even greater.
As I’ve written before, I think the new Ethereum ETPs will attract billions of dollars and that the money flowing into these new ETPs will have a much bigger impact than Bitcoin for three reasons.
Reason 1: ETH’s short-term inflation rate is low
When Bitcoin ETP was launched, the inflation rate of the Bitcoin network was 1.7%. In other words, the Bitcoin network produced approximately 328,500 BTC per year, which was approximately $16 billion at the price at the time. This means that we need to buy $16 billion worth of Bitcoin every year to maintain its price.
In contrast, Ethereum’s inflation rate over the past year has been exactly 0%: there were 120 million ETH a year ago, and there are still 120 million ETH today. This is because, while a small amount of ETH is generated every day, users consume ETH using applications on Ethereum (from stablecoins to tokenized funds). Over the past year, these two forces have reached a balance.
Lots of new demand meeting 0% new supply? Going a step further, if activity on Ethereum increases, consumption of ETH will also increase, which is another organic demand lever that works in favor of investors.
Reason 2: Unlike Bitcoin miners, Ethereum stakers do not need to sell
The second major difference is that Bitcoin miners typically have to sell the Bitcoin they produce, while Ethereum stakers do not.
Bitcoin mining is expensive, requiring high-end computer chips and large amounts of energy, so miners typically sell most of the bitcoins they mine to cover operating costs.
Ethereum does not rely on mining, but instead uses a system called "proof of stake". In the proof of stake system, users stake ETH as collateral to ensure that they process transactions accurately and truthfully. In return for processing transactions correctly, stakers receive new ETH as a reward.
A key difference between Bitcoin mining and Ethereum staking is that there are no significant direct costs to staking. Therefore, Ethereum stakers are not forced to sell the ETH they earn. Even if Ethereum's inflation rate rises above 0%, I don't think stakers will face significant selling pressure.
In the short term, Ethereum’s daily forced selling volume is significantly less than Bitcoin’s.
Reason 3: 28% of ETH has been staked and cannot enter the market
Staking has another effect: when you stake ETH, you lock it up for a period of time. During this period, you cannot withdraw ETH and sell it. Currently, 28% of all ETH is staked, which means it is effectively off the market.
In addition, another 13% of ETH is locked in decentralized financial smart contracts, such as as collateral in lending markets. This leads to a further reduction in the amount of ETH on the market.
All things considered, about 40% of ETH is partially or completely off the market.
what does that mean?
As I mentioned above, I expect the new Ethereum ETP to be successful, attracting $15 billion in new capital within the first 18 months of its launch. Ethereum is currently trading around $3,400, just 29% below its all-time high. If the ETP is as successful as I expect, new highs for Ethereum are almost certain.
