- Ethereum advanced 20% following the Pectra upgrade, marking its largest daily gain since 2021.
- The upgrade improves staking efficiency, validator operations, and Layer 2 scalability.
Ethereum had its biggest single-day increase in four years on Thursday, rising 20% to trade above $2,200 after the Pectra upgrade was introduced. The big move in price is as the crypto tries to catch up with Bitcoin, which has recently crossed the $100,000 mark for the first time in three months.
The Significant Upgrade of the Protocol Increased Investor Confidence
The Pectra upgrade, which was switched on on Tuesday, is Ethereum’s biggest upgrade since the 2022 Merge. This extensive protocol hard fork introduces significant enhancements to staking efficiency, validator operation, and Layer 2 scalability. Notable changes include EIP-7251 which raises the staking limit from 32 to 2,048 ETH, and EIP-7702, which improves wallet usability with account abstraction mechanisms.
Min Jung, research analyst at Presto Research, said,
“ETH is finally seizing momentum after lagging behind Bitcoin for most of the year. The latest Pectra upgrade has contributed to some recovery of confidence.”
The surge comes as the risk-on sentiment in the cryptocurrency markets is revived, partly on the back of positive macroeconomic news. It includes U.S.-China trade talks planned for Switzerland. Bitcoin has also continued its own rally, up 4% at $102,526.
Although impressive gains have been made, analysts at CryptoQuant warn that poor network activity on the Ethereum blockchain implies a recovery to former all-time highs is not around the corner. However, market watchers such as March Zheng of Bizantine Capital note that Ethereum has historically been the primary on-chain gauge for risk-on appetite, with large spikes historically preceding broader altcoin rallies.
The momentum of the cryptocurrency is not just a turnaround, ETH is still down almost 50% since the 2024 peak.
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