The global cryptocurrency market is under significant selling pressure, with Bitcoin and Ethereum showing signs of weakness as traders remain cautious amid macroeconomic uncertainty and volatility. However, a notable divergence is emerging from South Korea, where retail investors are actively accumulating Ethereum despite the broader downturn.
Data reveals the Korean Premium Index, which measures the price difference for Ethereum on South Korean exchanges versus global markets, has flipped positive to approximately 0.6. This indicates traders in South Korea are willing to pay above global prices, a classic signal of strong local buying pressure and bullish sentiment. This behavior often serves as an early indicator for market sentiment shifts.
Concurrently, the market is absorbing substantial sell pressure. Ethereum derivatives markets saw nearly $1 billion in sell volume following geopolitical tensions, and Ethereum spot ETFs experienced net outflows of $42.1 million this week, with BlackRock alone selling $53.3 million worth of ETH.
Despite this, ETH price has held key support near $2,000, currently trading around $2,050. Analysts note that a sustained move above the $2,150–$2,200 resistance zone could open a path toward $2,300–$2,400, while a breakdown below $2,000 could expose lower supports at $1,900 and $1,800.
In a separate but related development, the Ethereum Foundation (EF) continues its treasury staking strategy. On Friday, it staked over 45,000 ETH in batches of 2,047 ETH each, valued at over $92.2 million. This brings the EF's total staked amount to roughly 69,500 ETH, just 500 ETH short of its 70,000 ETH goal. The foundation now has over $143 million locked in the Ethereum Beacon Deposit Contract. This strategy, announced in June 2025, aims to use staking yields to fund protocol development instead of selling ETH, though co-founder Vitalik Buterin has previously raised concerns about the foundation being forced to take sides in any future contentious hard forks.
