Ethereum Lags Bitcoin Recovery: Korean Firm Loses $33M, ETH ETF Inflows Stall
JPMorgan analysts have flagged a deepening divide between Ethereum (ETH) and Bitcoin (BTC), warning that ETH and the broader altcoin segment may struggle to close the gap without a significant rebound in network usage, decentralized finance growth, and real-world adoption. The note from analysts led by Nikolaos Panigirtzoglou points to soft demand fundamentals as the primary headwind weighing on second-tier digital assets. Cryptocurrency markets have wobbled over the past six months as elevated interest rates, sticky inflation, and weakened risk appetite combined to pressure valuations. ETH and BTC both endured sharp drawdowns alongside heavy exchange-traded fund outflows earlier this year. Spot exchange-traded fund flows underscore the disparity highlighted by the banks research team. Spot Bitcoin ETF products have clawed back roughly two-thirds of the capital that exited during recent drawdowns, while spot Ether ETF vehicles have recovered only about one-third of their prior outflows. The data suggests institutional appetite for direct ETH exposure remains comparatively muted even as broader risk sentiment has stabilized. Momentum-driven participants, including commodity trading advisors and crypto quant funds, remain positioned slightly underweight on both assets, indicating that speculative inflows have yet to return at scale. The relative ETF recovery gap is one of the cleanest signals









