The Fed Sparked a "Sell the News" Correction
Ethereum traded from roughly $3,324 early in the 24-hour window to an intraday peak near $3,372, then slid to approximately $3,201 at the time of writing. That leaves ETH down about 3.66% over 24 hours while still clinging to a modest 0.23% gain over seven days. Volume ran hot at $35.21 billion, and ETH's share of the crypto market held steady at 12.58%, essentially unchanged from the prior day.
The Federal Reserve's decision provided the catalyst. The 25 basis point cut to a 3.50% to 3.75% target range was widely expected, but forward guidance stressed a cautious medium-term path with only slow future cuts penciled in. That "hawkish cut" framing gave traders who had front-run the event little reason to add exposure and plenty of incentive to book profits. Ahead of the decision, ETH had already surged 7% in 24 hours with options implying a 4.6% daily move, futures open interest climbing 8% to 12.4 million ETH (its highest since early December), and CME ETH futures open interest topping 2 million ETH. Multiple reports described ETH reclaiming the $3,300 area and spiking toward $3,350 to $3,450 before the announcement. Once the Fed delivered only what markets expected alongside cautious guidance, the asset that had run hardest gave back the most.
The broader market confirms this was an event-driven shakeout rather than an ETH-specific problem. Total crypto market cap fell around 2.8% over 24 hours, global open interest dropped about 3.7%, and derivatives volume jumped mid-teens percent, a classic pattern of post-event risk trimming across the board.
Whales and ETFs Built the Rally That Is Now Consolidating
Understanding the dip requires understanding what came before it. The rally into the $3,300 to $3,450 band was driven by ETH-specific demand that remains intact.
Whale wallets holding at least 10,000 ETH accumulated more than 800,000 ETH over the past 30 days, worth over $2.4 billion at an average price of roughly $3,105. That buying occurred while ETH dipped as low as $2,600 over the prior month, meaning large holders were systematically accumulating during weakness and concentrating supply in patient hands. Similar accumulation phases have historically preceded significant upside moves.
Institutional flows reinforced the structural bid. Spot Ethereum ETFs saw approximately $177.7 million in inflows on December 9, surpassing Bitcoin ETF inflows that day. ETH on centralized exchanges has dropped to roughly 8.7% of total supply, its lowest level since 2015, tightening the available float just as regulated demand accelerates. ETF assets under management rose from about $16.88 billion a week ago to approximately $19.11 billion now, meaning roughly $2.2 billion more ETH exposure sitting in regulated vehicles over that period. BlackRock has filed for an Ethereum ETF that includes staking yield, which would make ETH more attractive for institutions seeking both price exposure and income.
Technically, ETH reclaimed key moving averages including the 50-day and 50-week MAs, levels that have preceded gains of 97% or more in earlier periods. The ETH/BTC pair broke a multi-month downtrend, suggesting a shift in relative performance toward Ethereum and possibly the early stages of an altcoin rotation. None of these dynamics reversed over the past 24 hours; the dip is a partial retracement of the move they produced, not a repudiation of the thesis.
Technicals and Derivatives Drove the Pullback Mechanics
Inside this macro and fundamental backdrop, the microstructure over the past 24 hours looks like profit-taking and positioning adjustment rather than panic.
NewsBTC's hourly analysis shows ETH pulling back from a high around $3,448 to trade near $3,200 and the 100-hour simple moving average. Price broke below a short-term bullish trend line near $3,240, with resistance now sitting at $3,250, $3,300, and $3,320. A move back above $3,320 would open a path to $3,400 to $3,500. On the downside, initial support rests at $3,200, followed by a more important zone around $3,180 (roughly the 50% retracement of the $2,914 to $3,448 leg), with deeper supports near $3,150 and $3,050. Short-term indicators have softened: the hourly MACD sits in the bearish zone and RSI has slipped below 50, matching the controlled but negative drift.
Derivatives data align with the technical picture. Pre-Fed ETH options were pricing puts more expensive than calls, with traders using straddles and strangles to bet on volatility rather than a pure upside breakout. Marketwide open interest is now down about 3.7% over 24 hours with average funding rates slightly negative (around negative 0.0003% per period), consistent with leverage being trimmed and a mild tilt toward shorts or hedging. A separate CryptoQuant-based analysis noted that ETH's rally featured unusually low funding rates compared to earlier 2025 peaks, meaning the move was not overheated enough to trigger a violent long squeeze but left room for divergence between spot buyers and short-term leveraged traders.
Sentiment and Flows Suggest a Pause, Not a Breakdown
Social sentiment for ETH over the past 24 hours leans slightly bullish, with a net score around 5.23 on a 0 to 10 scale. Top bullish posts highlight a roughly $300 million whale long on Hyperliquid, additional buy orders stacked below current price, and the ETH/BTC downtrend break signaling a possible altcoin rotation. The main bearish commentary simply notes that BTC, ETH, and BNB are all down more than 2% but describes the market moving in a "steady rhythm," reading more as correction than capitulation.
ETF flows tell a similar story. ETH ETF assets under management rose from about $16.88 billion a week ago and $17.98 billion yesterday to approximately $19.11 billion now, implying net inflows even as price dipped over the past 24 hours. That pattern mirrors Bitcoin ETF behavior and suggests institutions are using volatility to add gradually rather than dump exposure. Altcoin rotation indicators still show "Bitcoin season," but ETH's share of total crypto value has ticked up from about 12.10% to 12.58% over the past week, fitting the story of recent outperformance now consolidating gains.
A Fragile Uptrend Pauses, But the Bid Remains
Ethereum's 3.7% drop traces directly to a widely expected but cautiously framed Fed rate cut that triggered profit-taking after a sharp pre-event rally, amplified by derivatives positioning and a modest marketwide risk-off move. Whale accumulation, ETF inflows, and flat dominance suggest the structural bid remains in place, while short-term technicals and funding shifts justify consolidation in the low $3,000s rather than a deeper break.