“What Ethereum ETF are you buying?”

The text came early this morning from a friend who is usually crypto-hesitant.

I admit. I haven’t responded. I’ll tell you what I’m going to tell him in a moment. 

First, let’s reflect on how quickly things can flip.

Last year, Ethereum was sitting below $1,800. Altcoins were deep into the red.

Crypto was, by all accounts, dead.

Ethereum wasn’t on this friend’s radar, either. Until, that is, recently. When he heard the Ethereum ETFs are coming.

Well, they’re here. 

Let's break it down, shall we?

Ethereum Price Predictions 

First off, we've got the usual suspects - BlackRock, Fidelity, and a whole gaggle of other financial behemoths - all lined up like pigs at the trough, ready to feast on the ETF pie.

They've been jumping through the SEC's hoops like trained seals, updating their 19B4 forms and S1 applications. 

But here's where it gets interesting.

The predictions for these ETF inflows are all over the map.

Estimates range from a conservative $1-3 billion on the low end to an optimistic $7-9 billion on the high end. A middle-ground projection sits at around $4-6 billion.

Translating these projections into price predictions, we're looking at a range of outcomes by the end of 2024:

1. Conservative scenario: ETH around $4,400
2. Moderate scenario: ETH around $5,300
3. Optimistic scenario: ETH around $6,700

But in all of their predictions, few mentioned the biggest potential catalyst in the waiting: staking.

You’ll recall, ETH ETF issuers had originally filed for staking. They were forced to remove it.

But if you believe SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce, staking’s still on the table and, in her words, “open for reconsideration as far as I’m concerned.”

It won’t happen overnight, but…

If ETFs stake a significant portion of their holdings, it could lead to more ETH being locked up, reducing circulating supply - a perfect storm.

While that could push ETH higher, that’s not even the story we’re excited about…

I’m talking about what’s going to happen NEXT in the crypto markets. Beyond Ethereum ETFs.

(To answer my friend’s question: “None.”)

In short, James and I believe certain “sleeper” cryptos are going to fly. Some of them are related to Ethereum. Some aren’t. We’ve written about this at length - and, don’t worry, much more to come on that front. 

By the way, this is not a trend limited to crypto.

In fact, James sees the same thing happening in stocks.