Why Ethereum Sank 5% Today, While the Crypto Market Inched Higher

One of the bigger movers in today's market (and unfortunately, not in a good way) is Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH). Tokens tied to the world's second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization sank 5.1% over the past 24 hours, as of 12:15 p.m. ET. This move came despite the broader crypto sector actually appreciating 0.25% over the same time frame.

I've discussed some of the bullish catalysts underpinning Ethereum, including key partnerships and institutional investments, as well as the launch of a Staked Ethereum ETF.

However, investor concerns became noticeably apparent to me yesterday when researching some of the finality-related issues associated with the time it takes for blocks to be completed on the Ethereum network. These issues appear to be bleeding over into today's session, with some other key underlying data suggesting weak near-term fundamentals for Ethereum right now.

Weakening fundamentals could be the bigger story around Ethereum right now

Source: Getty Images.

Several hours-long delays on Ethereum's blockchain, with users waiting for transactions to close with bated breath, have provided sporadic issues for Ethereum and its investors in the past. No doubt, many of Ethereum's top competing layer-1 networks have faced similar issues as well, so these concerns are not isolated to Ethereum.

However, Ethereum's reputation as one of the most stable and reliable networks for transactions means that these recent issues are sparking debate among investors about which layer-1 networks should be the go-to option for long-term investment. With users clearly pulling capital out of the Ethereum network, evidenced by a total value locked metric that has sunk from around $90 billion for most of September and October to around $70 billion today, that's not enticing news for those bullish on this network reaching new all-time highs in terms of total activity.

If Ethereum were valued similarly to a stock, TVL would be one of the key metrics I'd suggest would partly determine its valuation. This metric measures the total amount of value held within the Ethereum ecosystem, either on decentralized exchanges or other applications. When this value drops, as it has in recent weeks, investors take notice.

Now, Ethereum's TVL levels are still materially higher than what we saw in much of 2022 and 2023 (when TVL hovered within a range of $20-$30 billion for much of this period). Accordingly, these higher price levels we've seen for Ethereum tokens are validated by the data.

That said, I'd argue that investors would want to see Ethereum's TVL expand above $100 billion for this token to have a shot at new all-time highs. That would imply a growth of around 50% in user activity from here, something the market doesn't appear to believe is likely, at least in the near term.

Chris MacDonald has positions in Ethereum. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Ethereum. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.