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Ether Surges 8%, Outpacing Bitcoin Gains Amid Staking ETF, Tokenization Optimism
BlackRock's filing for a staking ether ETF earlier this week has contributed to ETH's relative strength to bitcoin, one market strategist noted.
Dec 9, 2025, 6:47 p.m.
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What to know:
- Ethereum's ether (ETH) led the crypto rally on Tuesday, surging to its highest price since mid-November and outpacing bitcoin's gains.
- The ETH/BTC ratio reached its strongest level since October, indicating rotation towards ether.
- BlackRock filing for staking ETF boosted ETH's relative strength to BTC, LMAX's Joel Kruger said.
Ethereum's ether surged on Tuesday to its strongest price since mid-November, leading crypto markets higher as bitcoin climbed above $94,000.
The second-largest cryptocurrency climbed to just shy of $3,400, rallying 8.4% over the past 24 hours. Those gains significantly outpaced bitcoin’s 4.5% advance and the broad-market benchmark CoinDesk 20 Index’s 6% climb.
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The rally also drove the ETH/BTC ratio — a closely-watched gauge of ether’s relative performance to bitcoin — to its strongest level since late October, signaling rotation into ETH from the leading crypto.
Ether's rally and relative strengths against BTC is being driven by "improving regulatory expectations and renewed optimism around ETF-related inflows" with staking being added to funds on the horizon, Joel Kruger, market strategist at LMAX, said in a Tuesday note.
Asset management giant BlackRock, issuer of the most popular spot ETH ETF, filed Monday to introduce the iShares Ethereum Staking Trust, which would provide yield from staking to investors.
"The development revives optimism around ETH-focused inflows and the prospect of yield-bearing crypto products reaching a broader investor base," Kruger wrote. "While regulatory timelines remain uncertain, the headline has added more support to ETH’s relative stability versus bitcoin."
ETH could also benefit from regulatory efforts to pave way for real-world asset tokenization, a fast-growing sector focusing on bringing financial instruments like bonds, funds and real estate onto smart contract platforms like Ethereum.
Paul Atkins, chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, has touted tokenization a key innovation for capital markets, saying in an interview with Fox Business last week that it has the potential to change the financial system, reducing settlement risks and trade gaps.
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What to know:
- KuCoin recorded over $1.25 trillion in total trading volume in 2025, equivalent to an average of roughly $114 billion per month, marking its strongest year on record.
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- Altcoins accounted for the majority of trading activity, reinforcing KuCoin’s role as a primary liquidity venue beyond BTC and ETH at a time when majors saw more muted turnover.
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Bitcoin stuck near $88,000 as gold's and silver's record-breaking rallies show exhaustion signs
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What to know:
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- Facing the same news cycle as crypto, precious metals continued to surge higher, but a quick retreat from their highs on Monday suggested a bit of exhaustion was setting in.
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