Key Moments:

• ETH experienced a growth acceleration on Thursday, climbing by 11.64% to $2,005.86.
• The Pectra upgrade, activated on May 7th, increased Ethereum’s validator stake cap from 32 ETH to 2,048 ETH.
• Bitcoin rose above the $99,000 mark and has been trying to reach $100,000.

Ethereum Reaches $2,000 Amid 11.65% Climb, Bitcoin On Its Way to $100,000

Ethereum managed to rise substantially on Thursday, with a major surge of over 11% seeing the coin reach $2,000, outpacing other top-tier altcoins. This latest surge coincides with notable institutional interest that has been observed since April. According to CoinShares, Ethereum has enjoyed back-to-back weeks of positive net inflows into spot Ether exchange-traded funds.

In addition, the implementation of the Pectra upgrade on May 7th is considered to be among the key factors that contributed toward renewed interest in ETH, as it introduced a collection of Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) focused on scalability and network security. A key change was the hike in the validator maximum stake, which increased from 32 ETH to 2,048 ETH.

Ethereum’s recent gains have come as part of a broader move higher across crypto assets. On Thursday, the entire crypto market added over 3% in value, reclaiming a total capitalization of around $3.2 trillion. This rally emerged as optimism returned following hopes surrounding Washington-Beijing trade negotiations and talks of a potential deal between the US and the UK, reinvigorating risk appetite even as the Federal Reserve maintained its interest rate stance.

Bitcoin (BTC) was another notable gainer, as renewed investor enthusiasm propelled the price toward the $100,000 level. However, Chief Analyst at Bitget Research Ryan Lee has stated that “a clear break above this psychological barrier” might be contingent upon consistent economic data that supports the idea of policy easing.

Paul Howard, Senior Director at Wincent, wrote to The Block that strong news out of the US could be the next driver for the flagship cryptocurrency. “The market now anticipates a potential follow-through later this year, whether in the form of rate cuts or broader macroeconomic stimulus,” he stressed.