Ethereum is struggling to regain traction as it continues to trade below the critical $3,200 level, weighed down by persistent selling pressure and growing macro uncertainty. Market sentiment has deteriorated notably in recent weeks, with many analysts increasingly calling for a broader bear market phase.

From a structural perspective, ETH remains below several key technical levels that previously acted as support, reinforcing the perception that downside risks are still present and that bullish momentum remains fragile.

Beyond price action, on-chain data is beginning to confirm this cautious outlook. According to a CryptoQuant report by CryptoOnchain, Ethereum’s network activity has contracted sharply, signaling a meaningful decline in underlying demand. The 7-day Simple Moving Average (SMA) of Active Addresses has fallen to 327,000, marking the lowest reading since May 2025.

This represents a significant pullback from earlier cycle highs and suggests that fewer users are actively interacting with the Ethereum network.

Historically, sustained bullish trends in ETH have been supported by expanding network usage and rising participation. The current decline in active addresses indicates a reduction in network utility, often associated with cooling investor interest and the exit of short-term participants.

Ethereum Network Activity Signals Cooling Demand

According to the CryptoQuant report, the current decline in Ethereum’s Active Addresses represents a sharp pullback from the peak of roughly 483,000 addresses recorded in August. Since that high, network participation has steadily weakened, highlighting a clear loss of momentum in on-chain activity.

This contraction has closely mirrored Ethereum’s market performance over the same period. As active addresses declined, ETH’s price corrected significantly, falling from a cycle high near $4,800 to the current $3,100 area.

The simultaneous drop in both price and network activity is a critical signal. It suggests a reduction in demand for block space and points to a potential exit of retail traders or short-term participants who typically drive spikes in transaction activity during strong bullish phases. When fewer users interact with the network, it often reflects lower speculative interest and diminished transactional demand.

In a healthy and sustainable bull market, rising prices are usually accompanied by expanding network usage, with active addresses trending higher as adoption and participation grow. The current divergence from that pattern indicates a cooling ecosystem rather than an acceleration phase.

For Ethereum to establish a durable price reversal, this metric will be essential to watch. A sustained recovery in Active Addresses would be one of the clearest early signals that demand is returning and that the network is regaining fundamental strength.

Ethereum Weekly Price Structure Shows Critical Inflection Zone

Ethereum’s weekly chart highlights a market caught between long-term structural support and unresolved downside pressure. After peaking near the $4,800–$5,000 region earlier in the cycle, ETH entered a prolonged corrective phase that drove price sharply lower. The subsequent rebound from the $1,500–$1,600 lows marked a clear recovery, but the rally has so far failed to transition into a sustained bullish trend.

Currently, ETH is trading near the $3,150 level, hovering around a key confluence zone. Price is interacting with the 100-week and 200-week moving averages, which historically act as pivotal trend-defining levels. While ETH has managed to reclaim the longer-term moving averages, it continues to struggle with follow-through above them, signaling hesitation from buyers at higher prices.

The structure since mid-2024 resembles a broad consolidation rather than a decisive breakout. Each rally attempt toward the $4,000–$4,500 range has been met with strong selling pressure, producing lower highs on the weekly timeframe. Volume has also declined compared to previous impulsive advances, suggesting weaker conviction behind recent rebounds.

From a structural perspective, holding above the $2,800–$3,000 region remains critical. As long as this zone holds, ETH maintains a constructive higher-low relative to the 2022 bottom. However, failure to build acceptance above the moving averages keeps Ethereum vulnerable to extended consolidation or another corrective leg before a clearer trend emerges.

Featured image from ChatGPT, chart from TradingView.com

While the Ethereum price still struggles to mount a sustained bullish momentum, an investigation into its on-chain activity has revealed a significant change in the behavior of its market participants. 

Active Addresses Decline To 327,000 From 483,000 August High 

In a Quicktake post on the CryptoQuant platform, market analyst CryptoOnchain shared that there has been a growing scarcity of activity within the Ethereum network. Specifically, the quant referenced data obtained from the Ethereum Active Addresses metric, observed on the 7-day Simple Moving Average. 

Since reaching its peak in August, the Active Addresses metric has declined steadily from about 483,000 to 327,000 — a level which marks the lowest reached since May this year. This downturn of more than 32% suggests an increasing exit of willing participants from the Ethereum network.

Interestingly, the aforementioned downturn is not a stand-alone phenomenon. Just around the same period where active addresses explored the southside of the charts, the Ethereum price also took on a bearish direction. This period saw the Ether token lose its $4,800 valuation and begin its descent to the current price around $3,100.

According to the analyst, this strong correlation between the falling Ethereum valuation and its contracting network usage points to something clear — that the recent price drop is likely a result of reduced network demand. This further shows that market participants are moving past speculation, and are in lieu adopting a broader outlook on the Ethereum blockchain. 

Ethereum Market Outlook

On the more positive side, CryptoOnchain explained how healthy bull cycles differ from the present market cycle. Typically, rising prices are not taken for granted as they often indicate a healthy bullish cycle.

An expansion of the cryptocurrency’s network usage also lends credence — enough to serve as confirmation — to suspicions of structural shifts into bullish phases. This theory holds true from a variety of historical occurrences.

So, a market would not qualify as bullish enough if the Ethereum price were on the rise without any parallel growth in on-chain activity. Hence, for a convincing price reversal to hold, there has to be a significant and sustained recovery of active addresses.

This would signal the return of on-chain demand and further heighten expectations of imminent momentum. Until those conditions are simultaneously met, the Ethereum market remains in a state of utmost caution, where prices could head towards either direction, with the major factor being the influx of network users. 

As of press time, the Ether token is valued at about $3,106, reflecting no significant movement since the past day.