Cryptocurrency
Ether price charts reflect weakness, but inflow to LSDFi could prevent an ETH sell-off

Ether has been on a downward trend, with the $2,000 level forming a crucial resistance level in recent months.
While Bitcoin (BTC) recorded 11.94% gains, moving past $30,000 in June after BlackRock filed an application for an exchange-traded fund with the Securities and Exchange Commission in the United States, the upside in Ether (ETH) stayed around 3.16%.
In the first week of July, buyers attempted to move the price past crucial resistance at around $1,900. However, a failed breakout exposed the price to further correction.
The Ethereum network also witnessed a decline in activity, evident in the one-year-low levels in total transaction fees. The price of leading nonfungible token (NFT) collections on Ethereum plummeted, while decentralized finance (DeFi) activity stalled due to low yields.

However, the downside may be limited, as the demand for liquid staking derivatives (LSDs) like Lido’s stETH continues to grow, rising faster than investors are moving to sell.
LSD activity is on the rise
While the primary use cases on Ethereum of NFT trading and DeFi activity suffered a downturn in June, the LSD narrative continued to grow.
On-chain analytics firm Glassnode wrote in its latest report that deposits to the staking contract have “been higher, or equal in scale to exchange inflows since Shanghai went live,” suggesting that more ETH is being moved toward staking than selling on exchanges.
The total ETH deposited in staking contracts is 19.7% compared to the centralized exchange balance of around 12.8%. LSD platforms captured most of the inflow, followed by independent validators and staking-as-a-service clients.
Ether staking deposits increased significantly after the Shanghai upgrade in April, as confidence increased with active redemptions. Among LSD platforms, Lido led the sector, followed by Rocket Pool and Frax.
Glassnode’s report also suggested that the network has “yet to see an appreciable influx of new holders,” as the number of new addresses holding Lido’s stETH has been “more or less unchanged” year-to-date.
Currently, 20% of Ether’s total supply is staked with validators compared to over 40% for most other proof-of-stake blockchains like Solana (SOL), Cosmos (ATOM) and Avalanche (AVAX), indicating room for growth.
With annual DeFi yields hovering around 1-3% for ETH on Aave and Yearn.finance and between 3-5% for stablecoins, LSD derivatives offer a base rate of 4% with an opportunity to earn additional yields by using their liquidity in DeFi applications.
Glassnode’s report said that LSD derivatives “have seen increased activity within different DeFi protocols, with Lido’s stETH being the most significant.”
Additionally, LSD tokenholders are also exhibiting a shift from providing liquidity on DEXs like Curve and Balancer to chasing higher yields on lending protocols like Compound and Aave. Glassnode’s analysts wrote, “This leveraged staking position is estimated to amplify yield by 3x.”
The LSD sector appears to be the current hotspot for DeFi players looking to maximize their yield.
Related: Rapid growth in DeFi-focused Ethereum liquid staking derivatives platforms raises eyebrows
Ether price analysis
ETH recorded a positive breakout from a bullish ascending channel pattern with a target of $3,000 earlier this week. However, the trend reversed quickly, as Bitcoin dropped to $30,000 after expectations of a rate hike by the U.S. Federal Reserve rose and sellers gained an upper hand.
Technically, the price can take two paths from here: find support at the base of the ascending triangle around $1,790 before making a break for the $1,900 resistance level again, or a continued drop toward the long-term resistance and support level of $1,700.
A breakdown below $1,700 would give sellers a chance to target the 200-day weekly moving average at around $1,575.

The ETH/BTC pair also shows that Ether has room for more downside toward the 200-day moving average at 0.0574 BTC and the long-term resistance and support level at 0.0538 BTC.

Ether had a failed positive breakout in early July, exposing the price to further downside to around $1,700. However, a surge in the LSD narrative with higher yields than the DeFi sector is providing a cushion for any future downside, suggesting that the price will likely establish bullish support.
This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.
This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal or investment advice. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.
Cryptocurrency
All TRX Holders Turn Profitable as Tron Hits Major 2025 Milestone

While the crypto market recovered last week, the Tron ecosystem quietly recorded a significant milestone for the year.
As reported by Burakkesmeci, an analyst for the market intelligence platform CryptoQuant, all cohorts of investors holding TRX, the native asset of the Tron network, have seen their positions turn green.
TRX Holders Enter Profit Zone
Burakkesmeci disclosed that TRX investor sentiment turned bullish as the coin recorded 115% gains in a year. The journey to this milestone kicked off on May 5 when TRX rallied to $0.25, bringing all investor cohorts, from long- to short-term participants, into the green territory.
Investors who held TRX for one week, one month, three months (short-term), six months, and one year (medium/long-term) all became profitable. According to the analyst, this development is significant for market sentiment and network dynamics because it shows the level of user confidence in Tron’s future potential.
As of May 15, TRX investors holding the asset for one week were in 10% profit, while those holding for a month were 6% in the green. Three-month-old holders were in 11% profit, while six-month and one-year-old investors had recorded gains of 52% and 115%, respectively. Burakkesmeci insisted that short-term holders being in profit drives strong positive sentiment in the market.
“These investors are more likely to share their success stories, which can encourage new participants to invest in Tron, potentially creating a feedback loop of increasing demand and momentum,” he stated.
At the time of writing on May 16, TRX was worth $0.272 following a significant, but volatile price move over the last seven days.
Tron Attains Higher Reliability and Security
Besides Tron’s latest win in profitability, the network has become more reliable and secure, with block production consistently averaging 99.7% of the expected 28,800 blocks daily. Tron has come a long way from 2020 to 2021, when it witnessed more network volatility and disruptions in block output.
A recent report by CryptoQuant said Tron is now recording a steady upward trend in production efficiency.
“The absence of large swings in block production indicates a maturing network with robust governance and operational performance, reinforcing TRON’s credibility as a high-throughput blockchain platform,” CryptoQuant added.
Meanwhile, Tether (USDT) supply on Tron recently surpassed Ethereum for the first time in crypto history.
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Cryptocurrency
These Altcoins Plunge Hard but Bitcoin (BTC) Maintains $103K (Market Watch)

Bitcoin’s price slipped below $103,000 earlier today, but the bulls managed to defend that level, and the asset is back well above it now.
However, several altcoins have marked massive losses over the past day, led by another double-digit price plunge from PI.
BTC Stays Calm
Bitcoin started the business week on the right foot as its price shot up from under $104,000 to a multi-month peak of just shy of $106,000. This came as a direct consequence of the trade deal struck by the US and China.
However, the asset couldn’t maintain its run and dropped by roughly five grand in the following hours to a weekly low of under $101,000. Nevertheless, the bulls didn’t allow a breakdown beneath $100,000, and the cryptocurrency began its recovery that pushed it to $105,000 by Thursday.
Another rejection followed, and more volatility ensued on Friday, but overall, bitcoin has been able to remain in a relatively tight range between $102,500 and $104,000. The past 24 hours brought some more minor fluctuations around these levels, and BTC now stands close to the upper boundary.
Its market cap has remained above $2.050 trillion on CG while its dominance over the alts has risen by over 0.5% daily to 60.4%.
PI Keeps Dumping
Most larger-cap alts have turned red in the past 24 hours. ETH has slipped below $2,500 after a 3% daily decline. A similar nosedive is evident from DOGE, while SHIB and LINK have dropped by over 4%.
However, PI leads the pack in terms of the biggest daily losses. Pi Network’s native token has plummeted by 20% and sits below $0.7.
Other larger-cap alts in the red today include PEPE, UNI, ONDO, AAVE, NEAR, APT, and more.
The total crypto market cap has seen over $70 billion disappear in a day and is down to $3.4 trillion on CG.
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Cryptocurrency
FTX Creditors to Receive Over $5B Starting May 30

The FTX Recovery Trust has announced it will begin disbursing more than $5 billion to creditors from May 30.
This payment round marks the second distribution to eligible parties as the firm continues its efforts to reimburse those affected by its collapse.
Repayment Efforts
In a May 15 release, the company’s bankruptcy estate categorized creditors into five “convenience classes” with specified payout rates. Members of creditors Class 5A will receive a 72% distribution, while Class 5B will be paid 54%.
Classes 6A and 6B, comprised of small lenders and Alameda Research trading partners, are each set for 61% distributions. Finally, Class 7 Convenience Claims will receive 120%.
John J. Ray III described the upcoming payments as a major development, stating:
“These first non-convenience class distributions are an important milestone for FTX. The scope and magnitude of the FTX creditor base makes this an unprecedented distribution process.”
He added that the announcement demonstrated the strong results of the team’s recovery and coordination efforts and emphasized that their focus remained on maximizing returns for creditors and addressing unresolved claims.
Eligible creditors are expected to receive their funds through their selected distribution service provider, either Bitgo or Kraken, within one to three business days after May 30. However, customers who onboard with a Distribution Service Provider will forfeit the right to receive cash directly from the bankrupt exchange, with all funds sent through their chosen provider instead.
The FTX Recovery Trust also said that the repayment schedule for upcoming creditor classes will be announced in due course. If all claims are filed, total repayments could reach up to $16.5 billion.
Separately, the FTX bankruptcy estate initiated legal proceedings in April against NFT Stars Limited and Delysium. The lawsuits aim to recover digital assets allegedly withheld from the estate and are part of the company’s efforts to reclaim funds and maximize recoveries following its November 2022 collapse.
Criticism Over Valuation Method
FTX currently has about $11.4 billion allocated for creditor repayments. The first round of reimbursements began on February 18, 2025, directed at creditors with “convenience claims” under $50,000. Approximately $1.2 billion was paid out in that phase.
The second distribution phase will now target those with requests exceeding that amount. These include major investors and institutions that held millions in crypto on the platform.
Despite progress, the repayment model has faced criticism for calculating reimbursements based on crypto values at the time of the bankruptcy filing. This has led to some creditors receiving less than the current market value of their holdings.
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