Why Ethereum’s Social Buzz May Signal a Bigger Breakout Than Bitcoin
Ethereum is showing signs of becoming the more resilient crypto contender in the short term, with data suggesting its steadier social sentiment may give it an edge over Bitcoin.
At the same time, record-breaking ETF inflows and volumes are fueling the case for a potential breakout.
Ethereum Sentiment Cooler Than Bitcoin’s Frenzy
Market intelligence firm Santiment observed that despite Ethereum’s (ETH) strong price performance in recent months, social media chatter around the asset has remained comparatively subdued.
“The $ETH crowd hasn’t shown nearly as much bullishness despite significantly better performance over the past 3 months,” Santiment said in an X post. The ETH/BTC ratio—a key gauge of Ethereum’s strength relative to Bitcoin ($BTC)—is up nearly 33% over the past 30 days.
That stands in contrast to Bitcoin, which saw an explosion of bullish chatter as it hit a new all-time high of $124,128 on Thursday.
Santiment said the “greed spike” in BTC sentiment coincided almost perfectly with its local top, suggesting retail hype may have overheated Bitcoin at record levels.
ETH, by comparison, came within 1.94% of reclaiming its November 2021 high of $4,878 before retreating to around $4,450. Analysts argue that Ethereum’s cooler sentiment may point to a healthier foundation for further gains.
Institutional Demand Ignites Ethereum ETFs
Adding to ETH’s momentum is the sudden awakening of U.S.-listed spot Ethereum ETFs. After months of sluggish activity, they have shattered records in recent weeks.
ETF analyst Eric Balchunas noted that Ether ETFs saw $17 billion in weekly trading volume—describing the surge as “like they were asleep for 11 months and then crammed a year’s worth of activity into six weeks.”
The rally included a single-day record of $1.01 billion in net inflows, while the first half of August brought more than $3 billion in total inflows, their second-strongest monthly performance to date.
Analysts like Michael van de Poppe see striking parallels to Bitcoin’s ETF-fueled surge earlier this year, arguing that Ethereum could now be primed for its own breakout.
Short-Term Cooldown Amid Long-Term Optimism
Still, the red-hot streak has cooled somewhat. Both Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs ended their multi-day inflow runs this week, with ETH ETFs recording $59.3 million in outflows and Bitcoin ETFs losing $14.1 million.
Nansen analyst Jake Kennis also cautioned that while ETH sits just a few hundred dollars away from a new all-time high, the milestone may take “weeks or months” to materialize as the market consolidates.
Price Forecasts Stretch Higher
Despite the short-term pullback, long-term projections remain bullish. Standard Chartered recently raised its ETH forecast for 2025 to $7,500, while trader Yashasedu predicts Ethereum could climb above $8,500 if Bitcoin advances to $150,000—continuing historical patterns where ETH captures roughly 35% of Bitcoin’s market cap.
Ethereum price chart (Source: CoinMarketCap)
With its sentiment advantage, record ETF inflows, and upgraded institutional forecasts, Ethereum is increasingly positioned as the crypto asset with the stronger footing to lead the next phase of the bull market.
