What Happens To Ethereum If The Fed Hikes? Traders Are Betting On $2,500

Luke Angell
Luke Angellpage_time_hoursAgo
A 116,000 ETH withdrawal worth $300M tracked by Ali Martinez keeps Ethereum near $2,500 as the Fed weighs a hike. (Image: Shutterstock)
A 116,000 ETH withdrawal worth $300M tracked by Ali Martinez keeps Ethereum near $2,500 as the Fed weighs a hike. (Image: Shutterstock)

Traders pulled more than 116,000 Ethereum (ETH) off exchanges in 48 hours, worth about $300 million, as the coin held near $2,500 before the Fed decision.

Key Points:

  • More than 116,000 Ether, valued near $300 million, left centralized exchanges over a two-day stretch.
  • The Federal Open Market Committee meets Sept. 15 and 16, with futures pricing a 58.4% chance of a quarter-point hike.
  • Ether has traded between roughly $2,370 and $2,530 since Aug. 26.

Ethereum Exchange Outflows Reach $300M

Analyst Ali Martinez wrote on X on Sept. 6 that more than 116,000 Ether had left exchanges over the previous 48 hours, and he valued the tokens at about $300 million.

Coins moved into private wallets cannot be sold at once, so traders usually treat the shift as a drop in supply available to the market. Martinez said the balances are shrinking quickly enough to set up a large price move.

Ether changed hands near $2,498 on Monday, carrying a market value of roughly $304.85 billion and daily turnover of $10.68 billion. The nearest obstacle sits at $2,560, and a clean break above it would open the door to $2,750, with $3,400 flagged as a further target.

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Fed And Bank Of Japan Meetings Weigh On ETH

The Federal Open Market Committee gathers on Sept. 15 and 16, and the policy statement lands at 2 p.m. Eastern on the second day. Futures pricing put the odds of a quarter-point increase at 58.4%, which would lift the target range to between 3.75% and 4.00%. Employers added 162,000 jobs in August against forecasts near 53,000, a gap that pushed traders toward betting on tighter policy.

The August consumer price report arrives first. The Bureau of Labor Statistics releases it on Sept. 11, five days before the decision, and inflation ran at 3.4% in the year through July.

Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh used his Jackson Hole address in late August to stress that price control comes first, and hike odds climbed to 66% by Aug. 31. Japan adds a second source of pressure on risk assets. Markets priced an 87% chance that the Bank of Japan lifts its policy rate to 1.25% this month, up from about 23% before its July meeting.

Ether ETF Demand Cools After Long Streak

Regulated demand looks softer than it did a week ago. U.S. spot Ether funds took in $87.68 million on Aug. 31, an eleventh straight session of gains, with BlackRock's iShares Ethereum Trust supplying about $59.94 million of that total.

Inflows into Ether products then dropped sharply in the week ending Sept. 4, while Bitcoin (BTC) funds collected $986.9 million over the same stretch.

Ether has stayed between roughly $2,370 and $2,530 since Aug. 26, a band that has held for almost two weeks without a decisive close on either side.

The coin sat near $4,800 in early 2026 after setting a record above $6,000 in October 2025.

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Luke Angell

Luke Angell is a correspondent at Yellow Media, a digital business executive and entrepreneur with more than 20 years of experience building and growing technology and media businesses, including six years at the forefront of Web3 and crypto. He writes about Web3, AI, emerging technology and the intersection of technology, business and digital culture.

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What Happens To Ethereum If The Fed Hikes? Traders Are Betting On $2,500 | Yellow