Next week, or approximately four days from now The Merge will be implemented. Ethereum will then transition from proof of work (PoW), to proof-of stake (PoS) in the next week. According to Ethereum developers, prior to the Paris upgrade, programmers successfully completed the 13th and last shadow fork.
Ethereum’s 13th and Last Shadow Fork Is Complete
Social media was buzzing with talk about The Merge, Ethereum’s transition to PoW from PoS on Friday. Furthermore, ETH developers and the Ethereum research and engineering company Nethermind revealed the last shadow fork is now complete. A shadow fork is basically an upgrade to the current version of Ethereum’s mainnet. The public is not aware of this testing phase.
So far, with the last shadow fork, ETH developers have executed 13 successful shadow forks. “Transition in Mainnet-Shadow fork-13 (the last shadow fork before The Merge) was successful for all Nethermind nodes,” the researchers from Nethermind said on Friday. To aid in testing, there is a shadow network scanner, a shadow mainnet explorer and a shadow web Beacon Chain Explorer.
Bitcoin.com reported on the pre-Merge upgrade called Bellatrix on September 6, which was the final pre-Merge transition before the Paris Upgrade. Paris will activate The Merge. After the last PoW block has been mined, an Ethereum validator shall mine the next block. If that block is successfully mined by a validator, The Merge will be 100% complete.
“MSF13 merged earlier today, we saw attestation rate drop to -97%,” an Ethereum developer wrote after the shadow fork. “This was due a stale node data that I didn’t clear up, it thought it was on a wrong shadow fork. No other issues with client compatibility were observed
With the shadow fork completing successfully on Friday, it signals the readiness for The Merge, and entities running ETH software will need to upgrade. While some people celebrated the shadow fork, others criticized Ethereum and called it “centralized.” On Saturday, following the 13th shadow fork, the test was discussed a great deal on social media channels like Twitter and Reddit.
The Merge will execute when the network hits a Total Terminal Difficulty (TTD) value on the execution layer, which will be 58750000000000000000000. This is estimated to happen on September 14, 2022, or roughly four days from when this post was written.
What do you think about the completion of the 13th shadow fork and the upcoming Paris upgrade? Please comment below to let us know your thoughts on this topic.
Jamie Redman
Jamie Redman, the News Lead at Bitcoin.com News, is a Florida-based financial journalist. Redman has been an active member of the cryptocurrency community since 2011. Redman is passionate about Bitcoin, open-source codes, and decentralized applications. Since September 2015, Redman has written more than 6,000 articles for Bitcoin.com News about the disruptive protocols emerging today.
Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. This article is not intended to be a solicitation or offer to buy or sell any products or services. Bitcoin.com does not provide investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice. The author and the company are not responsible for any loss or damage resulting from or in connection to the content, goods, or services discussed in this article.
Ethereum’s Next Big Move: 3 Bullish Signals That Could Skyrocket ETH
TL;DR
Although ETH has been largely the biggest disappointment of the current cycle that started last year, there are certain factors suggesting it has a lot of room for growth, which could be around the corner.
Whales are back on the offensive, and the declining sentiment could result in price reversal in the short term.
3 Factors Say Yey ETH
Data from Lookonchain suggests that Ethereum whales have reversed their strategy and have started to accumulate once again. The analytics platform outlined an address linked to Metalpha that has purchased roughly $50 million worth of the second-largest digital asset since April 1.
Another one withdrew almost $100 million in ETH out of GateIo, and a third one transferred more than 10,000 ETH from Bybit.
Whales accumulating again is a good sign for the underlying asset, as it reduces the immediate selling pressure and could lead to FOMO among smaller investors.
The second positive sign for ETH’s future price performance is the Market Cap to Realized Cap (MVRV) Price Band. The metric is used to determine the “best” buying opportunities when Ethereum dips below it, which is the current situation.
The best #Ethereum$ETH buying opportunities have historically occurred when price dips below the lower MVRV Price Band, and that’s exactly where it is now! pic.twitter.com/qVg9R2ewpe
Rain told their 100,000 followers on X that Ethereum’s cycles tend to repeat themselves in a compelling manner. Basing their findings on the historical sentiment around the largest altcoins, the analyst determined that ETH will reclaim its strength and aim at $10,000 and beyond. This will shift the entire market structure, which includes “new narratives, new capital rotation, and new leaders.”
Is It Already Different?
Just a few days ago, CryptoPotatoreported that different types of investors had sold off substantial portions of their ETH holdings. These included whales, Galaxy Digital, smaller investors, and those who entered through the ETFs.
However, the information above, including the accumulation by whales, suggests that the ETH market has reached an exhaustion point. After all, the asset is down by 60% since its December 2024 peak. For comparison, BTC, which actually managed to break its previous ATH, is down by only 22% since the January high.
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Ethereum Price Stalls as Lightchain AI Launches Developer Grant Program
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Crypto Price Analysis April-18: ETH, XRP, ADA, SOL, and HYPE
This week, we examine Ethereum, Ripple, Cardano, Solana, and Hype in greater detail.
Ethereum (ETH)
It was a quiet week for Ethereum that only managed a small 1% price increase. This is because, lately, it has been moving sideways around $1,600. This lack of momentum shows indecision with market participants unsure if the ETH downtrend will resume or not.
The current price action is similar to early March, when Ethereum hovered around $1,900 for about a week before sellers returned. If nothing changes, ETH may fall to its key support at $1,400.
Looking ahead, this cryptocurrency continues to show weakness. The lack of momentum is concerning, and buyers have to break the resistance at $1,800 to bring back optimism.
Chart by TradingView
Ripple (XRP)
This week, XRP managed to defend its key support at $2 and booked a 2% price increase. This is a positive sign that shows buyers are serious about keeping this cryptocurrency above $2.
While the bullish momentum is not there yet, the current price level can serve as a great pivot point for higher levels in the future, with $2.3 and $2.6 as key targets before the major resistance at $3.
Looking ahead, XRP has a good chance to return on a sustained uptrend in the medium term and aim for $3. To achieve that, buy volume has to increase considerably in the future.
Chart by TradingView
Cardano (ADA)
While XRP has found good support, the same cannot be said about ADA. It failed to reclaim its previous support at $0.64, which is now acting as a resistance, with sellers having an advantage on the chart.
If buyers remain absent, then the next key support levels will be found at $0.5 and $0.45. While the daily MACD turned bullish, the buy volume is simply not there to challenge the resistance at $0.64.
Looking ahead, Cardano is found in a flat trend with buyers unable to make their presence felt. For this reason, it is unlikely to see any major moves from this cryptocurrency at this time.
Chart by TradingView
Solana (SOL)
Solana increased by 13% this week, making it the best performer on our list. This comes after the price broke above $118, which used to act as resistance.
This uptrend may continue uninterrupted until $150 where sellers returned in the past, most recently in late March. While the path is clear for higher levels, buyers will need to turn $150 into a key support if they want to sustain this rally.
Looking ahead, SOL is experiencing a relief rally after its most recent drop. While sellers are absent right now, they can return once the price approaches the key resistance at $150. Best to be cautious there.
Chart by TradingView
HYPE is the second-best performer on our list this week with a 10% price increase. This comes after it entered a sustained rally since touching $9. Considering it reached $17 recently, that means it jumped by over 80% within a relatively short period of time.
While its rally in early April was quite strong, sellers have started to make their presence felt more in the past week with each new high being met by increased sell pressure. This can also be seen on the daily sell volume which is making higher highs.
Looking ahead, HYPE had a fantastic run, but this is starting to show some weakness with buyers becoming exhausted. This is why a pullback becomes more likely at these levels since sellers are returning.
Chart by TradingView
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Disclaimer: Information found on CryptoPotato is those of writers quoted. It does not represent the opinions of CryptoPotato on whether to buy, sell, or hold any investments. You are advised to conduct your own research before making any investment decisions. Use provided information at your own risk. See Disclaimer for more information.