Can Ethereum crack $2K? ETH price inches closer despite new unlocked supply

cointelegraph.com:

The price of Ethereum's Ether (ETH) token came just a few dollars from hitting $2,000 a day after the launch of the network's long-anticipated Shanghai upgrade.

On April 13, Ether's price gained roughly 4% to reach an intraday high of $1,996 on Coinbase, ignoring the potential selloff pressure the Shanghai upgrade could potentially bring to the market.

To recap: the Shanghai hard fork, also known as "Shapella," enables users to withdraw their ETH from Ethereum's proof-of-stake smart contract.

As of 09:00 UTC, April 13, over 98,000 ETH worth around $194.8 million has left Ethereum's voting balance reserves since the Shanghai launch a day ago, according to Nansen. In other words, nearly $200 million in potential selling pressure has entered the market.

But Ether's price rise since the Shanghai launch suggests that the market had no problem absorbing any selling pressure arising from this event so far. It's also possible that most users have decided to hold onto their ETH staking rewards rather than sell them in anticipation of further gains.

About 15% of Ethereum's total supply in circulation, nearly 120.4 million ETH, is currently staked.

Interestingly, more than 70% of the ETH staked is still underwater compared to current price levels, according to data gathered by Dune Analytics. This reduces the possibility of a sell-off in the near term from Shanghai's staking withdrawals.

The ongoing run-up in the Ethereum market has left ETH/USD slightly overbought, raising the likelihood of a short-term price correction this month.

Related: When levees break, liquidity flows — Analyzing Ethereum Shapella and liquidity staking derivatives

Notably, ETH's daily relative strength index (RSI) is merely two points below its overbought