Ethereum (ETH) has surged to $4,313.21, marking a 1.45% daily gain and pushing its market capitalization to approximately $520 billion. This milestone surpasses Mastercard's $519.19 billion valuation, making ETH the 22nd largest global asset by market cap. The rally extends a 7-day uptrend fueled by soaring trading volumes, with ETH now just 13% below its November 2021 all-time high of $4,878.
Technical analysts highlight bullish patterns: Lord Hawkins identified a Wyckoff Accumulation breakout suggesting a potential markup phase toward $6,000, while Titan of Crypto noted a symmetrical triangle breakout projecting an $8,000 target. Nilesh Verma predicts $10,000-$20,000 within 6-8 months based on historical retest patterns. Polymarket traders assign a 96% probability of ETH hitting $4,400 and 76% odds of reaching $5,000 by year-end.
Fundamental catalysts include $461.21 million in daily Ethereum ETF inflows—exceeding Bitcoin's $403 million—and aggressive whale accumulation. LookOnChain reported one entity buying $946.6 million worth of ETH in a week, while BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes acquired $5.29 million in ETH. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin's holdings now exceed $1 billion.
Despite optimism, critics like Samson Mow warn of a "Bagholder’s Dilemma," where profit-taking near record highs could trigger volatility. Ethereum co-founder Joseph Lubin contends corporate adoption could enable an ETH/BTC market cap flip within a year, though Bitcoin currently dominates at $2.36 trillion versus ETH's $505.58 billion.