Ethereum (ETH) Prints Bullish Engulfing as Institutions Load Up

TL;DR

• ETH forms a bullish engulfing candle near $4,200, signaling renewed demand and trend continuation.
• Open interest hits record $28B, with traders heavily positioned for Ethereum’s next major move.
• Whales and the U.S. government accumulate ETH during dips, reducing supply and strengthening the market outlook.

Bullish Candle Formation Signals Renewed Demand

Ethereum (ETH) has printed a bullish engulfing candle on the daily chart. Analyst Cas Abbé noted that the pattern shows buyers are stepping back in. The green candle has fully covered the previous red one, a setup traders often view as a shift in momentum.

Abbé explained that dips are getting bought, institutions are buying, while Bitcoin OGs are selling their BTC to buy ETH. The move appeared near the $4,200 level, which may now provide support. ETH remains in an uptrend that has been in place since May, with the price still following its rising curve.

$ETH has formed a bullish engulfing candle here.

Dips are getting bought, institutions are buying while Bitcoin OGs are selling their BTC to buy ETH.

Now is the worst time to be bearish on ETH. pic.twitter.com/oZjC2Kzfqc

— Cas Abbé (@cas_abbe) August 22, 2025

Remarkably, ETH open interest has reached record highs above $28 billion. Analyst Merlijn The Trader said, 

“Historically, these setups don’t consolidate. They detonate.” 

The data shows leveraged positioning is at its strongest point to date, reflecting aggressive activity across exchanges.

With Ethereum trading above $4,000, the rise in open interest suggests that a large move is approaching. Merlijn added that this could be Ethereum’s biggest breakout since 2021, given the amount of exposure now built into the market.

Accumulation by Institutions and Government

Merlijn also reported that the U.S. government added $332,460 worth of ETH, bringing its holdings to $254 million. He commented, 

“Governments don’t stack Ethereum for fun. They stack it for power.”

On-chain analyst Ali Martinez said wallets holding between 10,000 and 100,000 ETH purchased 400,000 coins during the recent dip. The stash, worth about $1.7 billion, increased their total holdings to almost 30 billion ETH, or 25% of the circulating supply. This accumulation reduces the available supply on exchanges and shows strong participation from large holders.

Technical Setup Points Toward $4,666

Analysts are also watching an inverse head and shoulders structure on the 4-hour chart. Bitcoinsensus identified a clear left shoulder, head, and right shoulder with a neckline near $4,300.

A breakout above that level, if supported by high trading volume, projects a move toward $4,666. Bitcoinsensus said, 

“Bulls need volume confirmation for breakout to stick.” 

Without it, ETH risks rejection at resistance and a return to consolidation.