Key Takeaways
Ethereum (ETH) price is under heavy pressure after breaking below the $4,000 support level for the first time since August.
Over the past seven days, the cryptocurrency has shed 13.86%, fueling concerns that the market’s second-largest asset may be sliding toward a prolonged bearish cycle.
On the daily chart, ETH’s price had previously formed a bull flag, a setup that usually signals continuation and an upside rally toward $5,000.
But that scenario failed to play out. Instead, ETH collapsed below the flag’s lower trendline, turning a once-bullish structure into a bearish setup.
Zooming in, the Money Flow Index (MFI) has dropped to 25.06, showing that selling pressure has intensified while ETH slips deeper into oversold territory.
For momentum to shift, demand would need to return strongly. If that happens, it could drive Ethereum’s price back toward the upper trendline near $4,752.
However, the Supertrend indicator has flipped red, reinforcing the bearish outlook. As a result, a breakdown appears more likely in the short term than a rapid rebound.

Amid the decline, online chatter has intensified, with some suggesting that ETH could be sliding into the early stages of a bear market. These concerns aren’t without merit.
After all, the 2022 bear market began similarly, with a steady loss of key supports that resulted in prolonged downside. CCN evaluated whether those fears were valid by using the Market Value to Realized Value (MVRV) Long/Short Difference.
This indicator compares short-term holders’ average unrealized profit or loss against long-term holders.
When the reading is positive, short-term traders earn higher relative profits than long-term holders. In most cases, this leads to increased selling pressure.
However, negative values suggest that short-term traders are capitulating, while long-term holders remain relatively stable.
For Ethereum, movements in the MVRV Long/Short Difference have historically served as early signals for cycle shifts into bear markets and recoveries.

The metric is 28.14% at press time, indicating that short-term holders have more unrealized profits. Should this reading rise, Ethereum’s price risk declines further, making the bear market concerns valid.
On the 4-hour chart, Ethereum’s technical structure paints a similar bearish picture. This time, ETH has broken below the neckline of a head-and-shoulders pattern, a reversal setup that signals the start of a deeper downtrend.
Losing this neckline confirms seller dominance and suggests Ethereum’s price may face further downside pressure.
If this trend continues, ETH risks dropping to $3,731 near the 0.236 Fibonacci retracement level. Failure to defend this region might make the correction worse, as it could hit $3,353.

However, if bulls come to its rescue, Ethereum’s price might bounce above the $3,965 support, and its market value might rise toward $4,343.