Ethereum price is under pressure despite strong demand for ETFs

The price of Ethereum is down approximately 1.5% today, April 13, 2026, and is currently trading at approximately $2,180. With this decline, the token’s performance is slightly lower than Bitcoin’s 1.26% decline according to CoinMarketCap.

Although there was initially no Ethereum-specific news, later reports emerged of an exploit incident related to the Polkadot-Ethereum bridge, adding a layer of uncertainty, potentially impacting the price of ETH.

At press time, the price of the token stands at $2,183.64 with a decline of 1.51% in the last 24 hours according to CoinMarketCap.

Market-wide risk-off sentiment leads to an initial decline

According to CoinMarketCapthe total market capitalization of cryptocurrencies decreased by 0.99% in the past 24 hours. Bitcoin’s decline sets the tone for altcoins like ETH.

Social media discussions, including insights from analysts such as tedbellows, He highlighted the failure of talks between the US and Iran as a possible reason for the decline observed across the cryptocurrency market. This beta-driven pullback means that ETH has largely followed Bitcoin’s lead rather than facing isolated catalysts.

What stands out is the lack of aggressive buying to counter the decline. Trading volume on ETH decreased by 15.74%. This decline indicates that there is weak conviction among bulls. Investors are cautious and are waiting for Bitcoin to stabilize above $71,000 before committing new capital.

Bitcoin’s rebound could provide the lift ETH needs, but continued pressure from the top of the cryptocurrency is maintaining bearish momentum.

Strong ETF inflows failed to lift ETH price

According to data from SoSoValueThe Ethereum spot ETF saw a total net inflow of $187 million last week. BlackRock’s ETHA led inflows with $168 million. With this figure, the organization brings its total to $11.73 billion, followed by ETHB with an inflow of about $66 million.

Despite having this strong influx of ETFs, the price of ETH has not risen but instead fallen as the overall cryptocurrency market is suffering at the moment. This just indicates that even though large institutions are buying, more people seem to be selling, which is why the price of the token is not rising.

The Polkadot-Ethereum bridge incident is emerging as a new risk factor

Adding to the bearish narrative, earlier in the day, the Polkadot-Ethereum bridge was affected. An attacker forged fake transaction proofs and tricked the bridge into minting $1 billion in DOT tokens on Ethereum without any real backing. These tokens were then quickly sold off on DeFi platforms, causing a sharp collapse in $DOT prices.

While the fake offer disrupted the Ethereum side, the original DOT and Dotted The ecosystem remained secure, with limited impact on prices.

The attacker sold fake DOT and took some ETH, but the amount was not large enough to significantly affect the price of ETH. The biggest impact is on market sentiment. Such hacks make traders wary of DeFi and bridges, which could cause slight short-term weakness in ETH.

Near-Term Outlook: Key Levels to Watch

Ethereum price It is now testing the $2175-$2200 support area. Holding above $2,175 would open a fundamental retracement to resistance at $2,235, matching the 23.6% Fibonacci retracement levels. However, a significant break below the $2,175 level threatens a sharp drop to $2,140, ​​the key lower limit.

Bridge concerns cause volatility. Bitcoin’s trend remains the primary catalyst, but Polkadot-related headlines could accelerate moves. Overall, the market is consolidating with a bearish bias, waiting for catalysts such as Bitcoin stabilizing above $70,000 or a bridge clearing.

Ethereum’s decline combines Bitcoin-led market weakness, technical failure, and now Polkadot bridge jitters, with low volume failing to mount a defense.

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