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Ethereum to $4,000? Traders Turn Bullish as Tom Lee Backs ‘Great’ Viral List Showing Institutional Surge

Published 20 January 2026
Kurt Robson
Authors
Edited by Insha Zia
Key Takeaways
  • Comments from Fundstrat’s Tom Lee and a viral Ethereum post have renewed bullish sentiment in some traders.
  • Some traders see Ethereum’s recent consolidation as constructive.
  • Despite improving sentiment, analysts caution that Ethereum has failed to hold key technical levels.

Bullish predictions for Ethereum’s (ETH) price have resurfaced following comments from Fundstrat’s Tom Lee and a now-viral post highlighting a wave of recent announcements from major financial institutions building on the blockchain.

The renewed optimism comes as ETH continues to trade below recent highs, with technical indicators still pointing to near-term caution.

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Tom Lee Backs Institutional Ethereum Push

Fundstrat Global Advisors managing partner Tom Lee added to the bullish narrative this week by highlighting a widely shared list of institutions adopting Ethereum.

“A great list put together by Ethereum detailing 35 major financial institutions building on Ethereum in just the past few months,” Lee wrote on X.

“Ethereum is the future of finance.”

Tom Lee’s bullish comments have helped revamp some traders’ hopes. | Source: X

Lee’s remarks followed a detailed thread published by Ethereum’s official X account outlining what it described as accelerating institutional adoption of the network.

The executive has consistently highlighted Ethereum’s role as infrastructure for future financial systems as a key driver of its long-term value.

Earlier this month, Lee claimed Ethereum could reach $250,000, marking one of his most bullish predictions yet.

“If Bitcoin gets to a million, that would value ETH at $250,000,” he said.

Institutional Use Cases Surge

In its recent X post, Ethereum described itself as the “#1 choice for global financial institutions,” citing more than 30 recent initiatives involving banks, asset managers, payment firms, and technology companies.

Examples cited included Kraken’s launch of tokenized U.S. stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) as ERC-20 tokens on Ethereum, Fidelity’s introduction of a tokenized money market fund, and BlackRock’s filing for a staked ether exchange-traded fund.

Other developments highlighted included JPMorgan migrating its tokenized deposit product to Ethereum’s Base layer-2 network and Stripe expanding stablecoin-based subscriptions built on Ethereum.

Ethereum also pointed to growing adoption by technology and payments firms, including Google’s work on an agent payments protocol that uses stablecoins on the network.

Traders Turn Bullish on Ethereum Price

The stream of institutional announcements has helped fuel bullish sentiment among traders, with some viewing Ethereum’s recent price consolidation as constructive.

One trader, posting under the name Merlijn The Trader on X, said Ethereum was “compressing in an uptrend,” adding that repeated higher lows suggested buying pressure was building.

He said a clean break above $3,400 could open the way for “a push toward $4000+.”

Other traders have similarly suggested Ethereum may be forming a base following recent pullbacks.

Ethereum Price Outlook

Not all signals point decisively higher.

Victor Olanrewaju, a crypto analyst at CCN, said Ethereum’s failure to break above resistance near $3,438 on the daily chart showed sellers remain in control of that level.

“That rejection matters because it shows sellers still control the supply zone, and buyers have not forced a clean trend expansion yet,” Olanrewaju said in a recent report.

He added that momentum indicators have weakened, noting a sharp drop in the Money Flow Index, which he said signals fading demand.

ETH/USD Daily Chart | Credit:TradingView

Ethereum has also slipped below its 20-day exponential moving average, a development Olanrewaju said often marks a shift from “buy-the-dip” to “sell-the-rally” behavior.

“If this setup holds, Ethereum’s price risks breaking the support near $3,100,” he said, warning that a move below the $3,000 psychological level could follow if selling pressure increases.

However, Olanrewaju said the bearish outlook would be invalidated if Ethereum reclaimed the 20-day EMA and broke above $3,438.

In that scenario, he said Ethereum could rally toward $3,942, with a further extension toward $4,300 if momentum accelerates.

Kurt Robson

Kurt Robson is a London-based reporter at CCN, specialising in the fast-moving worlds of crypto and emerging technology. He began his career covering local news in Cornwall after graduating from Falmouth University with First Class Honours in Journalism. There, he cut his teeth on everything from council meetings to missing swans.

He quickly rose through the ranks to become a frontline journalist at several of the UK’s leading national newspapers. Over the years, he has interviewed musicians and celebrities, reported from courtrooms and crime scenes, and secured multiple front-page exclusives.

Following the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kurt shifted his focus to technology journalism—just ahead of the AI boom. With a natural curiosity and a trained eye for emerging trends, he has found a new rhythm in reporting on innovation.

At CCN, Kurt's work focuses on the cutting edge of crypto, blockchain, AI, and the evolving digital world. Drawing on his background in people-first reporting and his deep interest in disruptive tech, Kurt delivers stories that are insightful, entertaining, and human-centric.

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