Ethereum Whales Are Back as Coinbase Premium Surge Signals Growing Market Tension

The Coinbase Premium index for Ethereum has climbed to levels not seen in a long time. This comes as ether (ETH) recovers to multi-month highs amid the latest market rally.

While the surging Coinbase Premium indicates growing demand in the United States, it raises concerns about an overheating market. If this is indeed the case, there may be reason to worry, as assets may decline and lose their gains rapidly.

ETH Coinbase Premium on the Rise

According to Crypto Dan, a pseudonymous analyst from the market intelligence platform CryptoQuant, the Ethereum Coinbase premium confirms that U.S. whales and institutions are buying more ETH.

Institutions like the Nasdaq-listed gaming entity, SharpLink, are driving the steady uptick in buying activity after adopting ETH as their treasury reserve asset. Over the last nine days, the company has solidified its position as the largest corporate ETH holder with a $515 million purchase.

SharpLink has been acquiring ether almost every day, with the nine-day streak adding 144,501 ETH to its stash. The firm now holds ETH worth well over $900 million.

Besides SharpLink, at least eight firms have been accumulating ETH over the last 30 days. These companies include Bitcoin miners BitDigital and Bitmine Immersion Technologies; together, these entities have purchased coins worth at least $1.6 billion in a month.

In addition to institutional purchases, spot Ethereum exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have been recording significant inflows. These products have experienced massive inflows on most days, indicating that U.S. investors are also purchasing ETH.

No Cause For Concern Yet

Typically, when the market witnesses high activity like this, a top is around the corner, and retraction is soon to follow. However, Crypto Dan believes the Ethereum market is yet to reach that level.

The Coinbase Premium is currently around 2.9. Although the index has not reached this level in recent times, it does not indicate significant overheating. In fact, Crypto Dan insists that there is a high chance of continued upward momentum after short-term consolidation.

However, while there is no reason to worry yet, multiple occurrences of such index movements during the rest of the year could signal overheating. In such cases, Crypto Dan says ETH investors should consider risk management.

Meanwhile, ETH was trading around $3,610 at the time of writing, up 4.6% daily and 20% weekly.