Ether whale transaction volume on major exchanges has declined significantly in early 2026, with large sell orders decreasing in size. This coincides with Ether’s longest weekly losing streak since 2022. Market analysts point to a potential thinning of market liquidity as larger participants reportedly disengage, while on-chain data shows continued accumulation by certain addresses.
Whale activity for Ether on a major exchange has slowed since the start of 2026. Roughly 2 million ETH was traded in large-sized transactions over a recent 45-day period.
Ether is currently in its worst weekly losing streak since 2022. Exchange flow trends and futures market liquidation data are impacting investor expectations for its price direction.
CryptoQuant data shows average ETH whale sell orders on Binance have fallen to around 1,350 ETH recently. This is down from roughly 2,250 ETH in early January.
Assuming 15 to 35 executions daily, cumulative sell-side turnover is estimated at 1.8 to 2 million ETH. Using an average price of $2,400, this equates to roughly $4.3 billion to $4.8 billion in large-order executions.
Crypto analyst Darkfost said the decline points to a “gradual disengagement” from larger participants. The analyst stated this shift indicates a temporary thinning of market depth.
Parallel to exchange flows, ETH accumulation addresses added more than 2.5 million ETH in February. Total holdings climbed to 26.7 million ETH, signaling steady demand beneath the surface.
Ether is now in its sixth straight week of losses. This marks the longest uninterrupted weekly decline since a 10-week drawdown between March and June 2022.
Historical data suggests a broad weekly demand zone between approximately $1,384 and $1,691 may come into focus. This area previously acted as accumulation during the early stages of the 2023 rally.
Futures market liquidation data shows over $2 billion in short positions clustered around the $2,000 price level. This creates a dense liquidity pocket that may act as a near-term magnet for Ether’s price.
On the downside, approximately $682 million in long positions remain at risk if Ether drops to $1,600. This indicates thinner liquidity compared to the upside cluster.
Crypto trader RickUntZ said he still sees potential for a V-shaped rebound from current levels. He cited signs of underlying demand in the current market structure.
