Is Ethereum quotation forming a base around $2,900 or sliding into a deeper correction?

Market conditions remain fragile as the Ethereum quotation trades under pressure around key technical levels within a broader risk-off environment.

Daily chart (D1): Main scenario and macro bias

On the daily timeframe, Ethereum’s quotation is in a broadly bearish regime. Price is trading at $2,933, well below all key moving averages:

• EMA 20: $3,086
• EMA 50: $3,261
• EMA 200: $3,417

The entire moving average stack is above spot and sloping down, which shows this is not just a shallow dip inside a strong trend. Instead, it is a structured downside phase. Until ETH starts reclaiming at least the 20-day EMA with conviction, the main scenario on D1 remains bearish.

Daily RSI (14)

Value: 41.28

RSI is below the 50 midline but not yet oversold. This is the zone where sellers dominate, but capitulation has not fully kicked in. In plain terms, momentum is negative, yet there is still room for another leg down before the market is exhausted on the daily. That favors a sell-rallies environment rather than an aggressive bottom-fishing strategy.

Daily MACD

Line: -38.19   |   Signal: -37.40   |   Histogram: -0.79

MACD is negative and slightly below its signal line, with a small negative histogram. Bearish momentum is still in control, but the spread is not extreme. That usually means the downtrend is mature but intact. The market is not at a violent climax, but buyers are not strong enough yet to flip the tide either.

Daily EMAs (20 / 50 / 200)

Price: 2,933.09   |   EMA20: 3,086.36   |   EMA50: 3,261.07   |   EMA200: 3,417.20

Trading below all three moving averages, with the shorter EMAs below the longer ones, gives a classic bearish stack. For directional traders, that means rallies back toward $3,080–3,260 are more likely to be selling zones than easy breakouts, at least on a first test. It would take a clean daily close back above the 20-day EMA to argue that the immediate downside pressure is easing.

Daily Bollinger Bands

Middle band: 3,071.40   |   Upper band: 3,319.05   |   Lower band: 2,823.75

ETH is trading between the mid and the lower band, relatively close to the lower edge at $2,824. That shows price is in the lower half of its recent volatility range, consistent with a controlled downtrend rather than a sharp panic. As long as ETH hugs the lower half of the bands without closing back above the middle band near $3,070, the path of least resistance stays down or sideways-down.

Daily ATR (14)

ATR: 176.30

Daily ATR around $176 means swings of 5–6% per day are perfectly normal in the current regime. Volatility is elevated, but not at blow-off levels. Traders should size positions assuming that a $150–200 intraday move is within expectation, which matters for stop placement and leverage decisions.

Daily Pivot Levels

Pivot Point (PP): 2,929.12   |   R1: 2,982.23   |   S1: 2,879.97

Spot at $2,933 is sitting almost exactly on the daily pivot. That is a classic indecision area intraday, but in the daily context it shows the market is testing balance after the recent selloff. Holding above $2,880 (S1) would support a short-term stabilization narrative, while repeated failures below that level open the door toward the lower Bollinger band near $2,825.

Daily takeaway: ETH is in a controlled bearish trend with no clear oversold exhaustion yet. The macro bias is bearish, but not yet at a point where a durable bottom is obvious. Reversion trades are possible, but they are by definition countertrend.

Hourly chart (H1): Short-term pressure with early signs of stabilization for Ethereum quotation today

On the 1-hour chart, Ethereum quotation is at $2,932.69, still in a bearish regime, but some short-term metrics hint at a potential pause or bounce.

H1 EMAs

Price: 2,932.69   |   EMA20: 2,969.14   |   EMA50: 3,028.27   |   EMA200: 3,114.10

Price is below all the key intraday EMAs, reinforcing a short-term downtrend. Any push toward $2,970–3,030 on the 1H is a potential lower high zone unless proven otherwise. The fact that the 20 EMA is significantly below the 50 and 200 confirms that intraday sellers still control the structure.

H1 RSI (14)

Value: 35.45

RSI on the hour is weak but not pinned to extremes. This is typical of a trend day on the downside: intraday bounces can occur, but momentum remains with the sellers. It leaves room for a small relief move higher without changing the broader picture.

H1 MACD

Line: -38.95   |   Signal: -40.79   |   Histogram: 1.84

Here is an interesting nuance: MACD is still negative, but the histogram has turned positive, meaning the downside momentum is starting to ease. That often precedes a short-term bounce or consolidation. It does not flip the hourly trend bullish on its own, but it warns that chasing fresh shorts too aggressively at current levels is late.

H1 Bollinger Bands

Middle band: 2,960.20   |   Upper band: 3,060.36   |   Lower band: 2,860.04

Ethereum quotation is trading slightly below the middle band, in the lower half of the hourly range. The most aggressive selling appears to have cooled off, with price no longer riding the lower band tick-for-tick. That is consistent with a market catching its breath after a leg down, not yet with a real trend reversal.

H1 ATR (14)

ATR: 29.39

An hourly ATR near $29 implies a typical bar can swing around 1% in either direction. For execution, that means tight stops inside a $10–15 range risk getting whipsawed easily, while intraday scalps have to respect a $30 volatility band.

H1 Pivot Levels

Pivot Point (PP): 2,931.01   |   R1: 2,942.00   |   S1: 2,921.70

Spot is effectively sitting on the H1 pivot as well. Immediate intraday battle lines are very tight. A push above $2,942 would open room toward the mid-BB and 20 EMA, while a drop below $2,921 sets up a retest of the lower band region around $2,860. It is a short-term decision point within a broader downtrend.

15-minute chart (M15): Execution context

On the 15-minute chart, ETH trades at $2,931, with a regime still labeled bearish but with more neutral momentum.

M15 EMAs

Price: 2,931.00   |   EMA20: 2,932.32   |   EMA50: 2,948.42   |   EMA200: 3,025.52

Price is essentially flat with the 20 EMA, below the 50 and far under the 200. This is what a short-term balancing phase looks like inside a larger downtrend. The market is pausing, but it has not repaired the damage higher up. Bulls may get some intraday traction, but structurally they are still fighting the tape.

M15 RSI (14)

Value: 47.79

RSI is near neutral on the 15-minute, neither overbought nor oversold. For execution, that means the very short-term momentum has reset. The immediate downside pressure has cooled, and the next push up or down from here will likely define the next scalping leg.

M15 MACD

Line: -3.17   |   Signal: -4.46   |   Histogram: 1.30

The MACD line is slightly above its signal with a positive histogram, hinting at a modest short-term bullish divergence versus earlier lows. It is not a trend changer by itself, but it backs the idea that late shorts on this timeframe are vulnerable to a squeeze toward the 50 EMA around $2,948.

M15 Bollinger Bands

Middle band: 2,927.94   |   Upper band: 2,946.18   |   Lower band: 2,909.70

Price is sitting just above the middle band, flirting with a mild mean reversion after testing lower levels. The bands are moderately tight, suggesting a short consolidation phase. A clean move above the upper band near $2,946 would confirm a short squeeze, while a slip back below the middle band would keep the micro downtrend alive.

M15 ATR (14)

ATR: 11.05

The 15-minute ATR around $11 warns that even on this micro timeframe, ETH can easily swing $10 or more in one bar. For precision entries, this is the noise floor traders have to clear.

M15 Pivot Levels

Pivot Point (PP): 2,933.93   |   R1: 2,937.39   |   S1: 2,927.54

Spot is marginally below the M15 pivot, showing slight intrabar weakness. As long as 2,927–2,928 holds, very short-term buyers still have a chance to defend. If that band is lost, the lower Bollinger region around $2,910 comes back into play.

Multi-timeframe picture: trend vs. mean reversion

All three timeframes (D1, H1, M15) are tagged as bearish regimes, but the lower timeframes show some early mean-reversion behavior. That creates a familiar tension:

• The daily trend and structure favor further downside or grinding consolidation.
• The hourly and 15-minute charts show waning downside momentum and mild divergences, opening the door to short-term bounces.

In other words, short-term bounces are possible, but they are rallies against the dominant daily downtrend until proven otherwise.

Market sentiment and macro context

With total crypto market cap dropping nearly 4% and BTC dominance approaching 57%, capital is moving defensively. Ethereum, despite strong DeFi usage (Uniswap, Curve and other ETH-centric DEXs are seeing a sharp jump in fees), is not yet being rewarded in price. This is typical in stress phases: on-chain activity can stay strong while price trades heavy, because macro flows and risk sentiment dominate fundamentals in the short term.

The fear and greed index at Extreme Fear (11) shows positioning is nervous. Historically, these zones can seed medium-term bottoms, but they can also persist while price bleeds lower. Traders get opportunity, but with very high headline risk.

Scenario map for Ethereum quotation (ETH)

Bullish scenario

For a constructive view, Ethereum quotation needs to turn the current base around $2,900 into something more than a pause. The bullish path over the next days would look like:

• Holding above the daily S1 around $2,880 and ideally above the lower Bollinger band near $2,824.
• A push on lower timeframes that reclaims the H1 EMA20 near $2,970 and then the H1 EMA50 around $3,030, confirming a sequence of higher lows intraday.
• On the daily, a close back above the middle Bollinger band and EMA20 region near $3,070–3,100. That would be the first serious evidence that the downside phase is losing control.

If these conditions line up, mean reversion could extend toward the $3,250–3,300 cluster, where the daily EMA50 and upper band area converge. In that case, daily RSI would likely push back above 50 and MACD could flatten out near zero, confirming a more balanced market.

What invalidates the bullish scenario?
A decisive daily close below $2,880, followed by continuation toward or below $2,825 (lower Bollinger band), would invalidate the immediate bullish repair attempt and reopen the door to a deeper correction.

Bearish scenario (current main case)

The dominant scenario, given the current daily structure, is that Ethereum quotation remains in a downtrend with rallies sold. In that view:

• Any bounce toward $2,970–3,050 on the H1 is treated as a chance for sellers to re-enter, especially if RSI on the lower timeframes stalls below 55–60.
• Failure to reclaim the daily 20 EMA near $3,086 keeps the medium-term bias negative. That level becomes a critical line in the sand for trend traders.
• Breaks below $2,880 on a closing basis open a path toward the $2,750–2,800 zone, in line with the lower Bollinger band and a full retest of recent support.

In this scenario, MACD stays negative on the daily, RSI grinds lower toward the 30s, and price continues to trade within or below the lower half of its Bollinger range. Short-term bounces would be viewed as liquidity for exit or for new shorts, not as trend reversals.

What invalidates the bearish scenario?
A sustained daily close above the EMA20 and middle band near $3,070–3,100, followed by continued strength on the H1 (price holding above $3,000 instead of rejecting it), would weaken the bearish case. If ETH then starts closing daily candles above the EMA50 around $3,260, the market would be signaling a genuine transition from trend-down to range or early uptrend.

Positioning, risk, and uncertainty

The current Ethereum quotation sits at a delicate point: structurally bearish on the daily, but with short-term indicators hinting at stabilization and possible mean reversion. This is exactly the kind of environment where:

• Trend followers typically prefer to wait for rallies into resistance rather than chase breakdowns.
• Countertrend traders look for tight, well-defined risk around local supports like $2,880 and the lower Bollinger band.

Volatility is high enough that poor sizing or tight stops can do more damage than getting the direction wrong by a small margin. Macro sentiment, with high BTC dominance, extreme fear and global risk-off, is still the main driver. Any sudden shift there, such as a broad crypto relief rally or another leg of de-risking, can quickly overwhelm local technical levels.

In short, ETH is in a controlled downtrend with some early signs of short-term relief. Whether that relief turns into a more durable base will depend on how price behaves around $2,880 support and the $3,070–3,100 resistance band in the coming sessions.