A recent market report reveals that the amount of Ether waiting to be staked has surpassed the amount in the withdrawal process. This technical phenomenon, according to industry analysts, has been the precursor to explosive bullish moves that reached up to 120% previously.
Therefore, Ethereum price projections have become highly optimistic, setting a potential target of $5,000 for the coming year 2026. Furthermore, the reduction in sell-side pressure strengthens the digital asset’s bullish structure right now. Therefore, institutional interest in staking rewards seems to have awakened with renewed strength this quarter.
The entry queue for network validators has risen to 745,619 ETH, representing approximately 2.2 billion American dollars. In contrast, the exit queue barely records 360,528 ETH, marking the largest accumulation gap since last June. According to analyst DefiIgnas, the Pectra upgrade has been fundamental by improving user experience and raising validator limits.
Likewise, this technological improvement facilitates the restaking of large capital volumes in a much more efficient way today. For this reason, the ecosystem seeks to secure yields in the long term before the next major market expansion.
On the other hand, recent history supports this bullish view based on the behavior of the network nodes. Last March and June, when the entry queue exceeded the exit queue, the price experienced increases of 90% and 126% respectively.
For this reason, investors are observing similar patterns that could drive the price above its previous all-time highs. In this way, the technical support at 2,750 dollars has been consolidated as the critical base for the commercial takeoff. Likewise, the increase in network activity suggests a growing demand for block space in the coming months.
Will the network be able to sustain this momentum against doubts of a possible bull trap?
Despite the optimism, some experts warn about the possibility of a bull trap if macroeconomic conditions change abruptly. However, analyst Titan of Crypto points out that the asset has already retraced 61.8% from its last major impulsive move.
In this way, the current price zone between $2,750 and $3,200 structurally resembles the accumulation period of late 2024. Therefore, a definitive upward breakout could trigger a massive rally toward the $5,120 dollar mark. Additionally, the decrease in transaction fees encourages more intensive use of decentralized applications by retail users.
On the other hand, the locked Ether supply rate has reached 29.3%, with more than 35.5 million coins currently in staking. This record figure proves that most holders prefer to keep their assets rather than liquidate them on the open market.
Therefore, the relative scarcity of circulating supply acts as a natural catalyst for medium-term Ethereum price projections. Likewise, the success of secondary scalability layers continues to add fundamental value to the main network this year. Consequently, the maturity of the protocol attracts capital looking for profitability and financial security.
Finally, the market is preparing for what could be one of the most profitable cycles for holders of the leading blockchain assets. While inherent risks exist, the hard data on validator participation paints a picture of solid confidence in the future.
For this reason, monitoring the staking entry queue will be an indispensable tool for predicting the next major market moves. Similarly, transparency in the upgrade processes reinforces the position of cryptocurrencies as legitimate, high-yield financial assets for 2026.
