After hitting above $3,800, the Ethereum price seems well on track for the next phase of the cycle. The ongoing trend has been closely mirroring what was seen back in 2016-2017 before the surge that sent the altcoin’s price to new all-time highs. This remains a major deal given that if the trend does play out similarly to what was seen in the 2017 cycle, then it means that the Ethereum price rally is only just beginning.
Ethereum Price Mirrors Bullish 2017
Back in 2017, before the bull market, the Ethereum price had struggled to stay on track with the Bitcoin price. This resulted in a lag as the price kept taking a beating with each uptrend. In the end, the Ethereum price ended up ranging for a while, with two fakeouts before the price was able to eventually breakout.
Similarly, the Ethereum price has ranged for the last year, with multiple fakeouts that have already kept the price low. Just like 2017, again, a crash sent the altcoin’s price down by almost 50% to create what seemed to be the perfect bear trap, as illustrated in this chart by crypto analyst Merlijn The Trader on X (formerly Twitter).
The analyst points out these similarities in the Ethereum chart, showing that the same range, fakeout, and breakout have now played out for the cryptocurrency just like they did in 2016-2017. Given this, it is likely that the next phase in the trend will also follow the 2017 playbook.
After the bear trap and eventual breakout in 2017, the Ethereum price had rallied by 5,000%, going from under $8 to over $250 in less than one year. Applying a similar breakout structure to Ethereum in 2025 would mean rising as high as $40,000.
However, adjusting for how high the market cap currently is, a conservative target would mean that the Ethereum price is at least able to cross the $10,000 level, which would be only a 200% increase from its current level. Applying the same timeframe as in 2017 would mean that it could play out in the next six months.
Additionally, Ethereum now has something that it didn’t have back in 2017, and that is institutional backing. Presently, Ethereum is quickly becoming a favorite among institutional investors as ETH treasury companies have poured over $7 billion into the altcoin, according to data from The Block. In July 2025 alone, over $2 billion has flowed into Spot Ethereum ETFs, showing a ramp-up in institutionalized interest.
Due to this rise in institutional investments, Merlijn The Trader has explained that institutions are now the ones behind the wheel with the same setup from 2017. This suggests higher liquidity as these major players are expected to drive and determine the ETH price this cycle.
