Ethereum hits $4.9K all-time high – Is ETH the new crypto king?

Ethereum just shattered its 2021 record, tagging a fresh all-time high near $4,945 amid a wave of institutional optimism and macro momentum. If this is the start of a new phase, has ETH finally claimed the crypto crown?

Record-breaking rally

After years of consolidation and builder-driven upgrades, Ethereum (ETH) burst through its prior peak, printing an intraday high around $4,945 over the weekend. At the Ethereum all-time high, market cap hovered just under $600B, cementing its status as the second-largest crypto asset and reigniting the “flippening” debate in market circles. Price trackers and major outlets confirmed the move, with data feeds noting the all-time high in the $4.94K-$4.95K zone.

The surge didn’t happen in a vacuum. It arrived as macro risk appetite thawed and crypto-native flows rotated decisively into Ether, intensifying a trend that had been brewing since early summer.

$ETH is doing exactly the same thing which led to a massive rally in the 2017 and 2021 cycle.

First trap the bulls, and then a capitulation to trap the bears.

After that, a new ATH and then an up-only mode for 3-4 months.

We have now entered the up-only mode now. pic.twitter.com/DVhfjuGf36

— Ether Wizz (@EtherWizz_) August 23, 2025

What’s fueling the Ethereum price rally

Institutional tailwinds. The spot Ether ETFs approved last year and now past their “launch wobble” phase have seen Ethereum ETF inflows. By early August, Bloomberg tallied more than $6.7B year-to-date into the U.S. spot ETH ETFs; mid-month data showed over $1.7B of net inflows in August even as some Bitcoin funds recorded outflows. That reallocation is pivotal: it signals real, sticky demand from institutions building strategic ETH exposure.

Beyond ETFs, corporate treasuries buying ETH have also leaned into Ether, adding a structural buyer base that didn’t exist during the last cycle’s peak.

Macro catalyst. Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s Jackson Hole remarks nudged markets toward a September rate-cut probability, dialing down real yields and lifting risk assets, including crypto. Risk-on cues across equities and Asian markets underscored the shift in tone, and Ether’s breakout rode that macro wave.

Technical pressure mounts: Squeeze city

On the microstructure side, the rally chewed through stacked liquidation zones above $4.7K. Across the broader market, swift spikes around the breakout produced hundreds of millions of dollars in forced liquidations, with ETH-tied liquidations near $388M in 24 hours and roughly $700M+ marketwide during the most volatile windows. Hourly bursts over $300M highlighted just how lopsided positioning had become. That kind of “air pocket” is classic fuel for continuation, when shorts get run over, the bid often chases higher.

From here, traders are watching whether the price can sustain closes above the breakout shelf and build a higher base. If momentum holds, chartists will eye round-number psychology at $5,000 and extensions into discovery territory, while a failed re-test could send ETH to back-fill liquidity pockets in the $4,400-$4,600 range before any further advance.

🚨BREAKING: ETH just smashed a new ATH at $4,900! pic.twitter.com/awy6NXDMdt

— Coin Bureau (@coinbureau) August 24, 2025

ETH vs Bitcoin – Is the reversal coming?

“ETH vs Bitcoin” is more than a tribal debate-it’s a capital-allocation question for funds. Multiple datasets now show ETH outpacing BTC in 2025. The Wall Street Journal’s Jackson Hole coverage pegged ETH’s YTD gains near ~45% versus BTC’s ~25%, and several performance dashboards echo a similar gap. The ETH/BTC ratio has pushed to 2025 highs on the back of ETF inflows and treasury demand.

ETH/BTC is just one bullish candle away from its 8-yr downtrend breakout.

You're not bullish enough. pic.twitter.com/KmxCQEEwQC

— Ted (@TedPillows) August 22, 2025

Why it matters: Bitcoin’s store-of-value narrative remains intact, but Ethereum’s programmability, spanning stablecoins, tokenized funds, staking yields, and on-chain capital markets, offers cash-flow-adjacent use cases and a “platform premium” that big money can underwrite. Analysts quoted across mainstream outlets argue that this cycle’s leadership could broaden beyond BTC precisely because ETH is investable through regulated wrappers (spot ETFs) while also being the settlement layer for the fastest-growing on-chain financial primitives.

Key risks to the “ETH new crypto king” thesis

• Buy-the-rumor, sell-the-news. Big round numbers and all-time highs attract profit-taking. A failure to hold above breakout levels could force a deeper mean reversion as funding and leverage reset. Liquidation maps remain a double-edged sword: just as shorts can get squeezed higher, a sharp downdraft can cascade through crowded longs.
  
• Macro whiplash. Jackson Hole optimism is still contingent on incoming data. A hot inflation print or hawkish surprise could cool risk appetite quickly, pressuring ETH and ETF flows.
  
• ETF flow dependence. While flows are strong, they can reverse. An outflow streak, or regulatory curveball, would test how “organic” spot demand truly is away from the ETF bid. Recent weekly data already show rotation across days.
  

Conclusion

Ethereum’s all-time high isn’t just a statistical notch; it’s a signal that capital is re-rating ETH’s role in the digital-asset stack. With ETF inflows, treasury accumulation, and a macro backdrop tilting dovish, the Ethereum price rally has both narrative and numbers behind it. Add in a derivatives market that’s repeatedly mispositioned at key inflection points, and you have the ingredients for continued volatility, and potentially continued leadership in the ETH vs Bitcoin battle.

Ethereum’s record run isn’t just statistical, it’s symbolic. As smart money backs its programmability, the question isn’t whether ETH can dominate, but how quickly it might outshine Bitcoin from here. Ready for liftoff?

Think Ethereum has overtaken Bitcoin in 2025? Drop your target price below and tell us who’s the real king: ETH or BTC?

Not investment advice. Crypto assets are volatile and can lose value rapidly.

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