Ethereum’s price at risk – Why $1,815 support is key for ETH’s next move

• An Ethereum whale exited with $7.6M profits as gas usage dropped sharply.
• The DAA divergence plunged to -50%, signaling weak user growth against rising price.

A prominent Ethereum [ETH] whale has deposited the final 3,232 ETH—worth $5.72 million—into Kraken. This marks the end of a 1.6-year accumulation phase.

In total, the whale had amassed 10,564 ETH for $21.78 million and later sold it for $29.49 million.

That sale resulted in a profit of roughly $7.6 million. At the time of writing, Ethereum was trading at $1,832.73, with a 1.44% gain in the last 24 hours.

However, such exits could add pressure to ETH’s price in the short term.

Is Ethereum losing steam?

After maintaining elevated gas usage levels near 20B since early February, Ethereum has now witnessed a sharp drop back to 11.68B.

This decline signals a slowdown in on-chain activity and may reflect reduced demand across DeFi, NFT, or other dApp sectors. 

Historically, weakening gas usage tends to coincide with stagnating or bearish phases, especially if not accompanied by new user growth. 

Therefore, the decline in network activity undermines bullish arguments and poses a risk to ETH’s underlying strength.

Source: Santiment

Investor distribution data showed a notable 7.99% decline among mid-tier holders over the past 30 days, while retail wallets rose 1.33% and whales grew by 2.26%. 

This shift suggested that medium-sized investors were exiting or reducing exposure amid uncertainty, while retail optimism persisted and whales continued accumulating. 

However, retail buying alone often lacks the strength to drive sustained rallies, and the rise in whale holdings must be weighed against profit-taking behavior like the Kraken deposit.

Set up for a deeper correction?

Transaction activity across all high-value brackets has seen steep declines, with transfers above $10 million down 83% and those between $1 million and $10 million down nearly 70%. 

This trend suggested shrinking institutional involvement or a more cautious stance from large players.

As large transaction counts are often associated with market-moving activity, their decline could lead to lower volatility in the near term but also less upside momentum.

Source: IntoTheBlock

ETH’s press time price hovered just above a key long liquidation cluster at $1,815. A breach below this threshold could trigger cascading liquidations, amplifying downside risk. 

However, short positions remained concentrated above $1,850, leaving room for a short squeeze if buyers regained control.

The tug-of-war between leveraged longs and shorts sets the stage for a volatile breakout or breakdown in the coming sessions.

User activity fades

Santiment’s price-to-DAA divergence metric showed a steep decline of nearly -50% at the time of writing, indicating a significant drop in user growth relative to price action. 

This strong bearish divergence signaled that ETH’s price was not being supported by new address activity, a historically bearish pattern.

Such disconnects often precede sell-offs, especially when other fundamentals like gas usage also weaken.

Source: Santiment

Ultimately, despite the recent price uptick, Ethereum’s fundamentals are weakening. Gas usage has dropped, high-value transactions are down, and user activity shows a stark bearish divergence. 

Meanwhile, liquidation clusters and shifting investor composition add pressure to an already fragile setup. Unless new demand emerges, Ethereum may struggle to hold the $1,832 level in the face of mounting bearish signals.