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Fundstrat Head of Research and Bitmain Chairman Tom Lee believes Ethereum could surpass its all-time high this year and potentially reach $60,000 in the coming years.

Ethereum’s Price Trajectory and Market Outlook

Lee shared these insights in an interview with Coinage, where he discussed Ethereum’s recent price movements, institutional interest, the growing trend of tokenization, and the broader cryptocurrency market.

Ethereum experienced a significant surge, climbing approximately 80% from its June low of around $1,500 to approximately $2,700 by late September. This occurred even as the Federal Reserve implemented an interest rate hike in September.

Lee anticipates that Ethereum’s price will break its previous record and exceed $5,000 before the year concludes. When questioned about the possibility of a new all-time high this year, Lee responded with a definitive “absolutely.” He further projected that Ethereum could reach approximately $60,000 within a few years, a forecast partly informed by the cryptocurrency’s historical price cycles.

Ethereum’s trajectory from below $100 at the end of 2018 to nearly $4,900 in 2021 serves as a precedent. Lee suggested that a similar substantial upward movement, following an extended period of consolidation, could propel ETH to the $60,000 mark. “Could Ethereum 10x above 10 to 12x above its prior highs of $5,000? I think that’s very possible,” Lee stated. He reiterated his near-term expectation for Ethereum to reach around $3,000 and then move significantly beyond $5,000 by year-end.

Federal Reserve Policy and Market Reaction

The Federal Reserve increased its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points on September 16, setting the target range at 3.75%-4%. This decision was unanimous. Lee highlighted the market’s reaction as a key indicator, noting that Ethereum and other crypto assets continued to appreciate despite the rate hike.

Ethereum’s recovery from a June low of approximately $1,500 to roughly $2,700 by late September suggests to Lee that the crypto market may be entering a new bull cycle. He also posited that the Fed could eventually shift back towards a neutral monetary policy if inflation continues to recede.

Core consumer prices rose 2.4% year-over-year in August, a slight decrease from 2.5% in July. Lee attributed some of the persistent inflation to factors such as asset management fees and increased costs for flash memory used in technology products. Based on his team’s analysis, Lee estimates that underlying inflation could be closer to 2%.

Institutional Demand and Tokenization

Ethereum has also benefited from increased demand driven by U.S. spot Ether exchange-traded funds (ETFs). On September 22, U.S. spot Ether ETFs recorded inflows of $162.2 million, marking the third consecutive day of positive flows. BlackRock’s Ethereum fund accounted for $88.1 million of these inflows, while Fidelity’s fund added $33.6 million.

Lee believes the current cycle could attract a more diverse investor base compared to previous crypto cycles. He pointed to tokenization, evolving crypto regulations, and the growing adoption of blockchain technology by financial institutions as factors that could draw more investors into the market.

In contrast to prior crypto cycles, which Lee noted were largely propelled by specific niches like initial coin offerings (ICOs), NFTs, meme coins, and stablecoins, he sees the current cycle as having a broader spectrum of potential applications. Financial institutions, he explained, are increasingly exploring blockchain technology for asset tokenization and the development of novel financial products. Companies are likely to embrace blockchain when it offers substantial improvements in operational costs, revenue generation, or customer experience.

Tokenized stocks were cited by Lee as a prime example of this trend. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued an innovation exemption on September 17, permitting certain tokenized versions of U.S.-listed stocks to trade on blockchain networks under specific conditions. This development followed the failure of the Clarity Act to advance in the Senate after a 49-50 vote.

Evolving Trading Models and Blockchain Adoption

Lee also highlighted the trend of traditional financial exchanges planning for extended trading hours. Nasdaq has announced intentions for nearly 23-hour trading days, five days a week, while the New York Stock Exchange has received approval for a 22-hour trading day. Lee suggested these moves could bring traditional markets closer to the continuous, always-on trading model characteristic of crypto markets.

Furthermore, Lee underscored Robinhood’s strategic decision to build its Robinhood Chain on Ethereum. According to information discussed during the interview, Robinhood Chain facilitated $2.1 billion in tokenized assets within its initial two months, with $1.5 billion deposited into applications operating on the network. Lee indicated that Robinhood’s choice of Ethereum was driven by its security and liquidity, rather than a primary focus on transaction fees.

“I think that Robinhood decided to build on Ethereum… because it’s the most secure chain and the most liquid,” Lee stated. He argued that for ETH to appreciate in value, Ethereum does not necessarily need to capture all the fees generated by applications built upon it. Instead, he envisions Ethereum increasingly functioning as a store of value for investors and corporations, while the network underpins a wide array of additional financial applications.

Bitcoin Faces Potential Squeeze as Key Short Liquidation Zone Looms

New York, NY – October 4, 2026 – Bitcoin’s most significant concentration of vulnerable short positions is now situated directly overhead, presenting a potential catalyst for sharp market movements. On-chain analytics firm Glassnode flagged on October 4 that the largest cluster of short liquidations is building around the $90,000 price level.

With Bitcoin trading between $85,000 and $86,000 at the time of the report, this cluster is not a distant prospect but rather a few percentage points away. This proximity is enough to create unease among traders who have bet against the cryptocurrency’s price.

Glassnode’s data suggests that if Bitcoin’s price reaches this zone, a significant number of leveraged short positions could be forcibly closed. This type of automated market unwinding can rapidly transform a quiet market into a volatile one.

Traders who short Bitcoin using borrowed funds are essentially wagering on a price decline. If the price rises instead and crosses a predetermined threshold, exchanges automatically liquidate these positions to safeguard the borrowed capital. The act of closing a short position requires buying the asset back. When a substantial volume of these forced buy orders occurs simultaneously, it can drive the price higher, potentially triggering the liquidation of the next tier of short positions.

Glassnode’s analysis indicates that the densest concentration of these “trip wires” is located around the $90,000 mark. Estimates of cumulative short liquidations approaching this level across various trading platforms are in the hundreds of millions of dollars, although figures may vary between sources.

The firm also identified smaller liquidation clusters that formed over the preceding two months, near $83,000 and $75,000. According to Glassnode, a move towards either of these levels could accelerate the market’s next significant directional shift.

Earlier in the year, a substantial band of short positions had accumulated between $82,000 and $86,000. This concentration was largely depleted during the rallies in August and September, which followed record short liquidations. A notable event was a single-day “flush” on August 19, a major short liquidation event that amplified market volatility and contributed to upward price momentum.

With the $82,000 to $86,000 band now largely cleared, the next significant area of overhead exposure has shifted upwards towards $90,000.

Glassnode’s analysis is based on liquidation heatmaps, which are derived from estimated leveraged exposure. These maps highlight potential areas where forced closures could accumulate, rather than predicting future price movements.

The heatmaps reflect estimated exposure on major centralized exchanges and do not include certain perpetual futures platforms. Consequently, the actual size of the positioning around $90,000 could differ from what any single chart depicts.

Should Bitcoin ascend into the $90,000 zone and trigger a large wave of short closures, the resulting forced buying could provide additional momentum. Conversely, if Bitcoin stalls below $90,000, attention would likely shift to the smaller clusters near $83,000 and $75,000. Glassnode’s observation that a move towards these levels could hasten the next market swing suggests that a downward trajectory also carries its own volatility risks.

Liquidation clusters are dynamic. They expand as new leveraged positions are opened and contract as traders close positions or are liquidated. If the $90,000 cluster continues to grow while Bitcoin hovers in the mid-$80,000s, the potential for a squeeze intensifies. If the cluster diminishes, the setup loses some of its impact.

Crypto Traders Face Steep Losses as Short Positions Are Liquidated

Betting against the cryptocurrency market proved costly this past weekend, with traders seeing $113 million in short positions forcibly closed within a 24-hour period ending October 5, 2026. This figure represents the vast majority of approximately $138 million in total liquidations recorded, according to data compiled by Coinglass. Long positions, which are bets on rising prices, accounted for a mere $25.16 million of these forced closures, indicating that short sellers were liquidated at more than four times the rate of their long counterparts.

A liquidation occurs when a trader using leverage finds that their collateral is insufficient to cover mounting losses. In such instances, the exchange automatically closes the position.

Bitcoin and Ethereum Lead the Liquidation Wave

Bitcoin, the largest cryptocurrency asset, bore the brunt of the market’s downturn for short sellers. Short positions on Bitcoin constituted $57.07 million of the total liquidations, nearly half of all short positions closed during the specified timeframe. Ethereum followed, with $24.04 million in short positions being erased. The most significant single liquidation involved a $5.63 million ETHUSDT short position on the Binance exchange. In total, 42,225 traders across various platforms tracked by Coinglass experienced liquidations.

Binance has frequently been a leader in liquidation volumes, and the occurrence of the largest single liquidation on the platform aligns with this trend.

A Familiar Pattern Emerges

The $113 million figure for short liquidations may sound familiar, as a similar wave of short liquidations totaling $113 million occurred in July 2026. That earlier event was linked to a 4.5% surge in Ethereum’s price towards $1,980, a move that coincided with increased inflows into Ethereum Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs).

When short positions are liquidated, exchanges are compelled to buy back the underlying asset to close those positions. This buying activity can, in turn, drive prices higher, potentially triggering further liquidations and creating a cascading effect of buying pressure.

Market Positioning and Future Outlook

The stark imbalance between short and long liquidations suggests a significant number of traders had anticipated a decline in prices. The market’s rapid upward movement caught these bearish positions off guard, forcing their closure. Both the July and the recent episodes, with their identical $113 million in short liquidations, were triggered by unexpected price increases that caught short sellers unprepared.

When liquidations become concentrated on major trading venues like Binance, the platform’s risk management systems and liquidation mechanisms play a crucial role in determining the intensity of market movements. Heavy short liquidations typically indicate that bearish sentiment had become overly stretched, while substantial long liquidations would suggest the opposite.

Moving forward, market observers will be watching to see if funding rates and open interest begin to rebuild on the short side, potentially setting the stage for another short squeeze. Alternatively, this past weekend’s market shakeout may have reset positioning towards a more balanced state.