Ethereum (ETH), the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap, is trading around $1,800, with a total market cap of $220 billion. While recent price performance has been relatively muted, the recent network upgrades and growing institutional interest hint at a bullish long-term outlook.
For the unversed, Ethereum just rolled out one of its biggest updates since The Merge in 2022. The new upgrade, called Pectra, went live today — May 7. Originally planned for 2024, some of Pectra’s features faced setbacks due to code challenges. After testing the upgrade on two testnets, some bugs forced developers to run a third round of tests, which caused more delays.
Why is Pectra a Big Deal?
Pectra is Ethereum’s latest major upgrade that combines two updates — Prague and Electra — and introduces 11 key changes aimed at making the network faster, cheaper, and easier to use. These changes include doubling blob capacity for better Layer 2 support, increasing the maximum validator stake from 32 to 2048 ETH, and speeding up validator activation.
It also brings account abstraction, allowing wallets to act like smart contracts temporarily, enabling bundled transactions and gas payments in any token. Together, the 11 EIPs improve scalability, staking, user experience, and developer tools — making Ethereum more efficient and pushing it closer to mass adoption.
Ethereum Price Preparing For Something Big?
According to analyst Michael Van De Poppe, Ethereum (ETH) is consolidating and might be getting ready for a big move upward.
$ETH is consolidating before a big breakout upwards.
The liquidity is up for grabs, it just needs a news related item to kick it off. pic.twitter.com/VQaGvfZcA0
Right now, ETH is stuck in a familiar price range between $1,760 and $1,843, where it’s been since late April. It recently touched the top of that range but couldn’t break through. Van De Poppe says the market is just waiting for the right news to start a breakout.
Ethereum’s biggest upgrade was The Merge in 2022, which changed the network from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake. Before that upgrade, ETH went from around $1,000 to $1,600, but it dropped again afterward. In 2024, the Dencun upgrade helped improve scalability and Layer 2 features, but it didn’t boost the price much. Now, with the Pectra upgrade live, it remains to be seen if the price will jump right away.
Bitcoin is showing a price structure that resembles the market conditions leading up to the 2021 crash. Prominent trader Peter Brandt has pointed out that fundamentals often appear strongest at market tops. His comments come as analysts debate whether a Bitcoin crash is repeating a similar pattern from the past. This all happens while there
Altcoins have been attracting investor attention this weekend, with Bitcoin and Ethereum prices stagnating around $85,000 and $2,000, respectively, since Friday. Prominent crypto analysts have published data insights showing investors are increasingly rotating capital toward altcoins after recent U.S. macroeconomic updates.
Analysts Predict Altcoin Season as Fed Rate Pause Triggers Risk-On Appetite
The altcoin market had a rough start to March 2025 when U.S. President Donald Trump announced new tariffs on Canada and Mexico. However, the macroeconomic landscape has since improved. The Trump administration made adjustments to the tariffs, while U.S. CPI and PPI data indicated that inflation risks from the tariffs were overestimated.
This shift in sentiment was further reinforced after the latest Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting on Wednesday, where the U.S. Federal Reserve announced a pause in interest rate hikes.
S&P 500 Performance, March 23, 2025 | Source: NASDAQ
Traditional finance (TradFi) investors reacted by moving capital out of safe-haven assets like gold and into stocks, pushing the S&P 500 up by 31.7 points last week.
Crypto markets appear to be following suit, with traders increasingly rotating funds from Bitcoin and Ethereum into altcoins.
Crypto Analysts Signal Imminent Altcoin Breakout
Adding to the growing optimism around altcoins, two major crypto analysts took to social media to highlight technical indicators pointing to an incoming “Alt Season”—a market phase where altcoins significantly outperform Bitcoin.
“2025 #ALTSEASON starts in less than 3 days now,” alongside a chart illustrating past cycles of altcoin dominance relative to Bitcoin.
Crypto analyst Sensei (@SenseiBR_btc) made a bold declaration, March 21, 2025 ,
The accompanying chart showed clear historical patterns where altcoins surged against Bitcoin, with a third major rally seemingly about to begin.
In response, OBI Real Estate (@Obirealestate) weighed in on the discussion, adding, “Markets are buzzing, timing will be everything.”
Key Takeaways: Why This Weekend Matters for Altcoins
Capital Rotation: With Bitcoin and Ethereum trading sideways, traders are diverting funds toward altcoins, anticipating stronger returns.
Macro Trends: Improved inflation outlook and the Fed’s rate pause have boosted risk-on sentiment across global markets.
Technical Indicators: Historical charts from top analysts suggest that the long-awaited Alt Season could be days away from starting.
As traders look ahead, this weekend may present a critical window of opportunity to accumulate promising altcoins before a broader market breakout.
3 Top Trending Altcoins to Watch in the Week Ahead
Bitcoin (BTC) has surged past the $85,000 mark, signaling strong market sentiment despite a slight 0.9% decline in global crypto market cap over the past 24 hours. While BTC’s resilience suggests growing confidence, a look at broader market trends reveals that large-cap altcoins remain stagnant, while smaller-cap assets are seeing significant moves.
Crypto market performance, March 23 | Source: CoinMarketCap
Ethereum (ETH) remains subdued at $2,000, showing only a 0.5% gain in 24 hours. Similarly, Cardano (ADA) and Binance Coin (BNB) also moved sideways, conslidating at the $0.70, $620 respectively, while Solana (SOL), trading at $132 leads the top 10 assets with a 2.4% gain.
However a closer look at the Coinmarketcap above shows low-cap altcoins, are attracting significant search traffic, a move that could attract further capital inflows in the coming trading seesions.
1. Trump Memecoin (Official Trump) – Political optimism fuels rally
The Trump-themed memecoin is trading at $11.81, up 5.9% in the last 24 hours, making it one of the most notable gainers. This rally alligns with improved sentiment surrounding recent U.S. policy discussions and Trump’s appearance at the Blockwork’s Digital Assets Summit, last week.
With increasing political relevance and heightened social media buzz, this token is one to watch closely. A break above key resistance levels in the coming days could drive further gains.
2. Pi Network (PI) – Struggling to Break $1, But Buzz is Growing
Last week, PI endured major sell-offs as the network migration trigger mixed reactions among investors. However, Pi Network is now flashing recovery signals. At press time on Sunday, March 23, PI network price is facing strong resistance at the $1 mark, struggling to establish a breakout. However, with the token has become one of the most discussed assets in the last 24 hours, investor interest is evident.
If buying pressure continues and $1 resistance caves, a significant breakout could follow, making this an asset to monitor for a potential price explosion.
Ethereum’s native cross-chain bridge token, Wormhole (W) price, has surged 23.9%, driven by increased demand as investors rotate funds across chains.
Wormhole Price Action, March 23 | Source: Coingecko
The boost in market optimism, combined with the Fed’s recent decision to pause interest rate hikes, has further supported capital flows into decentralized finance (DeFi).
With more activity on cross-chain protocols, Wormhole’s demand could continue to rise, making it a strong candidate for further upside in the days ahead.
In Summary:
While Bitcoin’s dominance remains strong above $85,000, altcoins, particularly low-cap assets, are gaining momentum. The surge in Trump memecoin, Pi Network’s rising popularity, and Wormhole’s DeFi-driven gains all signal that the altcoin market could be gearing up for major moves. Traders should watch for key breakout levels as these assets continue to gain traction
On May 7, 2025, Metaplanet Inc. acquired an additional 555 Bitcoins, utilizing $25 million raised through zero-coupon bonds issued to EVO FUND. The entire raised capital was directed towards purchasing Bitcoin, totaling approximately $53.4 million at an average price of $96,134 per coin. This acquisition has resulted in a 136.7% year-to-date BTC yield for the company. With this purchase, Metaplanet now holds 5,555 BTC, acquired for a total of around $481.5 million at an average price of $86,672 per Bitcoin, reflecting solid strategic planning. Contine To Read
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On May 7, 2025, Metaplanet Inc. acquired an additional 555 Bitcoins, utilizing $25 million raised through zero-coupon bonds issued to EVO FUND. The entire raised capital was directed towards purchasing Bitcoin, totaling approximately $53.4 million at an average price of $96,134 per coin. This acquisition has resulted in a 136.7% year-to-date BTC yield for the …
