ETH Profit-Taking Climbs to 3-Week High Even as Prices Slide

The Ethereum network recorded $74.58 million in profit-taking last Thursday.

The asset’s price reflected an accumulated drop of 5.5% over a three-day period.

Deposit addresses on the Binance exchange increased to reach 9,000 $ETH.

During Thursday’s session, the Ethereum market experienced a significant surge in selling activity, reaching its highest profit level in three weeks. Data from Santiment indicates that $74.58 million was locked in a single spike of activity, even though the asset’s price fell nearly 5.5% over the last 3 days.

🤑 Ethereum just registered its highest network realized profits in 3 weeks. This may seem counterintuitive to see a spike of $74.58M in realized profits while $ETH’s price has dropped ~5.5% over the past 3 days. But here’s why:

📌 Holders with a much lower cost basis are… pic.twitter.com/YX6N6InkUX

— Santiment Intelligence (@SantimentData) May 14, 2026

This profit-taking phenomenon in a red-price environment points to a specific sector of investors. Santiment’s report notes that the current sellers are mostly traders who accumulated $ETH during February and March 2026, when the asset was trading below $2,000. Despite the recent correction, these users maintain positive margins and have chosen to secure liquidity amid uncertainty.

Analysis of selling pressure on exchanges

Distribution pressure is reflected in realized profit but also in the flow toward trading platforms. Data provided by Rei Researcher, a CryptoQuant contributor, reveals that deposit addresses on Binance reached a one-year high of approximately 9,000 $ETH. Inflow records confirm that most of the selling pressure was concentrated in the $2,260 price zone.

Furthermore, Santiment’s technical monitoring shows that four-hour candles presented compression near $2,241. This formation is typically an indicator of high distribution activity on the network. A higher volume of total transactions leads to more frequent realized gain and loss events, which, according to the current trend, has accumulated millions at the network level in a short period.

Given this scenario, Santiment suggests that traders be cautious. The firm projects that the end of the distribution phase could be confirmed if a spike in realized losses is observed, which traditionally acts as a market bottom signal. Until this process concludes, the consultancy’s recommendation is to avoid aggressive positions.

Technical levels and key support zones

Ethereum’s market structure is currently in a state of technical fragility after being rejected at higher levels. According to analysis by Keith Alan, the cryptocurrency attempted to break above its macro trend line but encountered insurmountable resistance at the 21-week simple moving average (SMA). Following this rejection, the price moved below a cluster of technical levels located near $2,280.

If Ethereum fails to recover the 21-week average, the expert suggests paying attention to a series of support zones. The first containment level is located at $2,196, followed by $2,060. A break below this latter range could clear the path toward $1,892.

According to CoinGecko figures, $ETH continues to trade above $2,200, although with a 2% loss in the last 24 hours. The cryptocurrency is 54% below its all-time high of $4,954 reached in August 2025. The next relevant milestone for the ecosystem will be the weekly close, which will determine if Ethereum manages to stay above the psychological support of $2,200.