Amid a significant shift from Ethereum (ETH) to Solana (SOL), Ethereum faces heightened bearish sentiment, with ETH/BTC ratios sinking to their lowest point in over three years. Over the past week, Solana surged nearly 17%, while Ethereum’s price held relatively steady, underscoring a possible pivot of interest toward alternative blockchains.
The ETH/BTC trading ratio dropped to 0.037 on October 24, its weakest since April 2021, as Bitcoin recouped recent losses, reaching $68,820 during late trading, while Ether dipped below $2,500. Solana has outperformed Ethereum by 600% since early 2023, driven largely by demand in the memecoin market, according to Cointelegraph. While Solana’s $82 million market capitalization trails Ethereum’s $300 million, the current momentum has prompted speculation around Solana’s potential to eventually challenge Ethereum’s market dominance.
Prominent Ethereum developers have countered recent criticism. Eric Connor, an Ethereum core developer, dismissed complaints about Ethereum’s layer-2 architecture, asserting the platform’s focus on decentralization and developer support. Commenting on Twitter, independent trader Bob Loukas suggested Ethereum’s recent price action reflects a broader redistribution of economic value across the decentralized ecosystem.
Anthony Sassano, an Ethereum advocate, pointed out that bearish sentiment on Ethereum aligns with ETH’s relative underperformance. Solana developer Mert Mumtaz also voiced support for Ethereum, underscoring the broader value of Ethereum’s decentralized framework despite recent market shifts.