Ethereum Whales Dump $725M as Verus Hacker Returns 4,052 ETH, Zero L2 Shuts Down
Ethereum entered Fridays session under accumulating distribution pressure, with on-chain figures pointing to a sharp $725 million reduction in non-exchange whale balances over the past five sessions. Holdings tracked across the largest cohort outside centralized exchange venues fell from 125.36 million ETH on May 17 to 125.02 million ETH by May 22, a 340,000 ETH outflow timed almost precisely with the maturation of a multi-week chart structure. The rotation suggests the largest stack is unloading rather than absorbing, and the velocity of the exit has analysts flagging the move as one of the more aggressive dispositions seen during a sideways range. Beyond the wallet flows, the broader price structure has hardened into a familiar bearish formation. Ethereum has been carving an inverted cup-and-handle since late March, a rounded distribution arc that completed near May 18 and rolled into its current handle phase around the $2,130 zone. The pattern‘s measured projection points to a 19% downside if the handle breaks, a move that would reset price action back to early February’s range and erase several months of recovery. Each rejection from the $2,150 to $2,200 supply pocket has so far validated the topology, leaving bulls without a clean structural counter-argument and keeping