Ether Breaks $2,600 as Institutional Interest Grows
Ether’s price jumped to $2,601 on July 2, ending a stretch of tight trading that lasted about 16 hours. The breakout wasn’t entirely unexpected—there’d been whispers of momentum building—but the timing caught some off guard.
What’s driving it? Partly, it’s the chatter around Ethereum’s role in tokenizing real-world assets. Stocks, bonds, even coffee futures—there’s a growing sense that Ethereum’s network could become the go-to place for this stuff. And institutions are paying attention.
Robinhood’s Move Adds Fuel
Over the weekend, Robinhood dropped a hint about something called “Robinhood Chain,” built on Arbitrum, one of Ethereum’s most-used Layer-2 networks. They didn’t give many details, but the fact that they’re leaning into Ethereum’s ecosystem says something. The Ethereum Foundation didn’t waste time responding, either. Their take? “Ethereum is for tokenized stocks.”
It’s not just talk. Bitwise’s CIO, Matt Hougan, thinks Ethereum ETFs could see a big bump in the second half of the year. He pointed to June’s $1.17 billion in net inflows as a sign of what’s coming. “Stablecoins and tokenized stocks—that’s a story traditional investors get,” he said.
Why Institutions Are Watching
There’s a mix of things pulling money into Ethereum right now. Stablecoins are huge, obviously. But add tokenized equities and staking into the mix, and suddenly it’s not just a crypto play—it’s a whole financial infrastructure.
About 30% of ETH’s supply is locked up in staking, which tightens availability. Layer-2 activity keeps climbing, too. Put it all together, and Ethereum starts looking less like a speculative asset and more like a backbone for real-world finance.
Traders are eyeing $2,800 as the next big test. If it breaks through, the rally could gain even more steam.
The Technical Side
For those who care about the numbers: ETH went from $2,413 to $2,570 in a single day, a 6.5% jump. Before that, it had been stuck between $2,380 and $2,460 for half a day or so. Then, around 14:00 UTC, things started moving.
Volume spiked—3.5 times the usual—and buyers held firm even when some traders cashed out. By the end of the day, ETH was hovering near $2,577, with higher lows suggesting the momentum isn’t done yet.
Of course, none of this is guaranteed. Crypto moves fast, and sentiment can flip overnight. But for now, the pieces seem to be falling into place.
*Editor’s note: This article was reviewed for accuracy, but if you spot any errors or have updates, let us know.*
