Despite the volatility in the crypto market, BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes and BitMine CEO Tom Lee are confident that the value of Ethereum ETH $4,135.65 Bridged Ether (StarkGate) 5.88% Market capitalization $0.1 billion VOL. 24 hours $3.52 billion could reach $ 10,000 or more by the end of 2025. They stated this in a Bankless podcast, emphasizing that the current consolidation of ETH creates the preconditions for a new stage of «price discovery.»
Lee noted that Ethereum «has been in an accumulation phase for four years» and has now «broken out of that range,» which may indicate the beginning of a new trend. He called the potential growth not a speculative surge, but a natural process of the market’s transition to a higher level of asset valuation. According to him, the end of the year may bring a «lucky» price, but not necessarily the final maximum.
However, historical data suggests a more moderate scenario. According to CoinGlass analysts, since 2016, Ethereum has grown by an average of 21% in the fourth quarter. Applying this figure to the current level means a potential increase to around $ 5,000 by the end of the year. Analyst James Harris from Tesseract predicts a rise to $ 6,500, while Michael van de Poppe from MN Capital believes that the ETH/BTC pair has already reached the «ideal buying zone» and can resume its movement to new highs.
The optimistic forecasts came after a large-scale market collapse, when liquidation of positions exceeded $ 19 billion and the Ethereum rate fell from $ 4,350 to $ 4,129. Among the main risks, analysts say, are rate hikes, regulatory pressure, and general economic instability, which can quickly change market sentiment.
Nevertheless, Lee and Hayes remain supporters of the bullish scenario, expecting ETH to rise to $ 10,000 or even $ 12,000 in the next quarter. At the same time, most experts estimate a realistic price trajectory in the range of $ 5,000−7,000, unless there is a sharp inflow of institutional capital or a technological breakthrough in the Ethereum ecosystem.