Ethereum Surges 25% in March, Institutional Buying and ETF Issuance Drive ETH Price Gains

Gate News, March 18 — Analysts have noted that Ethereum has recently outperformed the S&P 500 index, but the upcoming Federal Reserve meeting could determine whether its price continues to rise or faces a correction. One analyst warned that if Fed Chair Jerome Powell hints at policy adjustments, the rally in altcoins could quickly reverse, and Ethereum’s volatility remains higher than Bitcoin’s.

Adam Saville Brown, Business Director at crypto asset management firm Tesseract Group, stated that Ethereum has risen about 25% in March, indicating an expanding risk appetite and strengthening momentum in digital assets. He believes that the inflow of capital into the second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap reflects ongoing investor interest in blockchain technology and decentralized finance.

Despite prices still being over 50% below the August 2022 peak of $4,950, institutional investors continue to increase their holdings. Bitmine announced on Monday an additional purchase of $128 million worth of Ether, bringing total holdings to over $10 billion, and purchased 5,000 ETH from OTC transactions to support the Ethereum Foundation’s core operations. Chairman Tom Lee pointed out that Ethereum’s recent performance has far outpaced the S&P 500, showing a market preference for growth assets.

Meanwhile, BlackRock’s newly launched iShares Ethereum Staking Trust ETF traded nearly $16 million on its first day, with assets reaching $100 million, highlighting sustained institutional confidence in Ethereum. Wintermute, a crypto market maker, said that such buying activity could be either structural accumulation or tactical buying at support levels.

In terms of strategic investments, Bitmine has also indirectly acquired equity in OpenAI through Eightco Holdings and linked investments to the Worldcoin human verification system and MrBeast’s parent company, Beast Industries, to expand synergies between AI and crypto ecosystems. Additionally, Eightco has hired ARK Invest as a strategic advisor to boost investor interest and market attention toward ORBS.

This wave of institutional buying and ETF launches indicates that Ethereum’s strategic position in digital assets and decentralized finance infrastructure is strengthening, with its price trajectory still influenced by policy developments and institutional capital flows. (DL News)