rewrite this title Ethereum Price Crash Or Rebound? Why $4,000 Holds The Key

Ethereum has struggled with the resistance at $4,000 over the last three years and has yet to make a definite break above this level. The constant rejection from here suggests that this is now the level to beat if the Ethereum price is to ever resume its campaign for new all-time highs from here. Given this, how the price reacts now to this level will determine whether there is a major crash coming or if bulls can continue their domination and trigger an altcoin season.

$4,000 Is The Decision-Maker For Ethereum

After multiple failed retests over the last year, the $4,000 has emerged as the undisputed psychological level for the Ethereum price. Crypto analyst The Alchemist Trader refers to this as a high-timeframe barrier due to these rejections and the major level to watch to determine the next direction for ETH.

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In the analysis, Alchemist explains that Ethereum has now entered a decisive stage while testing the upper boundary of a long-standing range. This long-standing range is identified as the $1,300-$4,000 range, which has held for more than a year. Following the most recent failure to break out of $4,000, Ethereum has fallen back into the range and has now entered consolidation.

Below $4,000, the analyst believes that trading Ethereum is filled with both opportunity and risk. This all depends on whether the altcoin breaks out or fails next, putting investors in a precarious position of picking whether to long or short the digital asset at this level.

Since previous retests of the $4,000 have led to rejections and a push back toward the mid-range or lower levels, it is possible that this time follows the established trend. However, there is still a lot of bullish sentiment in the market, and Ethereum could ride this wave into another breakout from here.

What Happens In A Break Or Rejection

In the event of a breakout above the $4,000, the crypto analyst does see the Ethereum price reaching new yearly highs from here. The first major resistance after $4,000 would be the $4,500 level. Next up would then be the $5,000 psychological level, which would mean brand new all-time highs for the altcoin if it were to test this resistance.

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On the flip side, another total rejection of $4,000 could trigger a massive crash. The last rejection from this psychological resistance back in December 2024 led to a multi-month decline that saw the price crash more than 60% before finding a bottom four months later at around $1,500.

In the latter scenario, the analyst expects the Ethereum price to continue to trade inside the established $1,300-$4,000 range. As such, Alchemist advises investors that “Until a decisive move occurs, traders should remain cautious and reactive rather than overly anticipatory.”

Featured image from Dall.E, chart from TradingView.com