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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEthereum logged nine losing months in 2025, matching the depth of the 2018 bear market in terms of persistence.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Ethereum (ETH) has recorded its worst year for price performance since the depths of the 2018 bear market, posting monthly losses in nine out of twelve months in 2025.<\/p>\n
The extended decline is leading some market observers to question the endurance of crypto\u2019s traditional four-year boom and bust cycle, even as underlying network activity tells a different story.<\/p>\n
Data from CoinGlass shared by market commentator Ted Pillows shows<\/a> that in 2025, ETH fell in every month from February through April and again from September through December.\u00a0The most severe single-month drop came in February, when the asset lost 32%. Other major monthly setbacks included a 22% fall in November and an 18.7% decline in March.<\/p>\n The few positive months offered limited relief, with the largest gain being a 48.8% increase in July, followed by an 18.8% rise in August. Even so, the balance tilted heavily negative, making 2025 Ethereum\u2019s weakest year since 2018, when repeated double-digit losses, including a 53.8% crash in March of that year, defined a deep market reset after the ICO boom.<\/p>\n Currently, ETH is attempting to stabilize, trading around $3,020 as of early January 2026. This represents a minor 24-hour increase of 1.6%, but the cryptocurrency remains down 11.2% over the past year.<\/p>\n The price is hovering at a critical technical junction, sitting just above its daily 200-period moving average and a key horizontal support zone. According to analyst Daan Crypto Trades, the chart has become highly compressed<\/a>, suggesting a significant move could be imminent.<\/p>\n A sustained daily close above the $3,000 level is viewed<\/a> as necessary for upward momentum, while a drop back below it would likely extend the recent period of sideways trading.<\/p>\n Despite last year\u2019s gloom, on-chain metrics and developer activity paint a picture of strong health and growth, with Ethereum setting a new record by deploying<\/a> 8.7 million smart contracts in a single quarter, breaking the previous record from Q2 2021.<\/p>\n Analysts believe that the consistent growth in deployments over several quarters shows real demand, mainly due to the growth of Layer 2 rollups, real-world asset projects, stablecoins, and wallet infrastructure.<\/p>\n Network usage is also climbing, with Ethereum recently processing a record 2.2 million transactions in one day while average fees have dropped to approximately $0.17, a stark contrast to the $200 fees seen during peak periods in 2022.<\/p>\n However, for traders, the focus remains on key price levels, with a major resistance zone sitting near $4,800. Some chart patterns suggest a breakout above that level could open<\/a> a path toward $8,500. In the near term, though, the market is watching for a confirmed break from its current compressed state, with large holders continuing to accumulate ETH even as its price struggles to find lasting positive momentum.<\/p>\nYou may also like:<\/h3>\n
Building Through the Downturn<\/h2>\n
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