According to Santiment’s analysis, recent market discussions have increasingly focused on Bitcoin
$118,366, a trend that implies a potential upside for Ethereum 
$4,559. Last week, the emphasis on “higher/above” in Bitcoin commentary coincided with the cryptocurrency hitting a new peak. Bitcoin surged above $124,500 before retracting over $6,000 in a matter of days. Despite a 22% monthly increase and a four-year peak at over $4,700, Ethereum failed to surpass its 2021 record, leading to restrained enthusiasm among investors. Santiment notes that individual expectations often run counter to actual price movements, suggesting that such a scenario is currently unfolding.
Ethereum’s Sentiment Advantage
Santiment’s data reveals that Bitcoin’s optimistic discourse aligns with its concurrent price surge, followed by swift depreciation. This pattern indicates a short-term market focus on Bitcoin, directing risk appetite towards the cryptocurrency. However, this excessive optimism has amplified Bitcoin’s susceptibility to rapid declines. 
In contrast, Ethereum presents a different picture. Although its price has gained momentum in recent weeks, it hasn’t set a new record, and investor discourse hasn’t escalated to the same extent. According to Santiment’s long-held contrarian view, this low level of “euphoria” suggests that ETH might gain traction moving forward.
Institutional Moves and Reserve Strategies Favor Ethereum
Ethereum’s lackluster performance early in the second quarter was underscored when it dropped below $1,500 amid President Donald Trump’s most intense trade war period. However, since early July, the trend has shifted upwards, and the narrative has changed. Many companies have begun implementing plans to hold ETH as a reserve asset. Tom Lee’s Bitmine and SharpLink have amassed ETH worth billions, with continuous whale purchases.
The demand from institutional investors is clearly reflected in ETF inflows. Ethereum ETFs saw net inflows of $1 billion on Monday, $520 million on Tuesday, $729.1 million on Wednesday, and $639.6 million on Thursday, despite a limited outflow of $59.3 million on Friday. In total, $2.85 billion flowed into Ethereum ETFs over these five trading days. The fact that ETH has yet to surpass its 2021 peak and hasn’t reached sentiment saturation reinforces Santiment’s assertion that it may have a larger potential upside than BTC in the coming months.
