TLDR
- Arthur Hayes predicts ETH will hit $10,000 by the end of 2026, over three times its current price.
- Ethereum is trading near $2,700, still about 46% below its all-time high of $4,946.
- Spot Ethereum ETFs saw a $2.8 million outflow, ending a streak of inflows that began September 18.
- ETH gained nearly 70% in Q3 2026 after two straight losing quarters.
- Cumulative ETH ETF inflows have reached $13.95 billion.
Ethereum has been trading above $2,500 for the past two weeks, but $2,800 has been a tough level to clear. The coin is consolidating inside a triangle pattern on the charts.
At the KBW2026 event in Seoul, Arthur Hayes, the former CEO of BitMEX, was asked for his Ethereum price prediction. In a clip posted on X by CoinDesk, Hayes answered directly: “$10,000 by the end of the year.” That target is more than three times ETH’s current price near $2,700.
Hayes explained his reasoning during the interview. He said he can put large amounts of money into ETH without worrying about a sudden 75% loss from an exploit.
🚨ARTHUR HAYES JUST CALLED $10,000 ETH BY YEAR-END!
BitMEX co-founder @CryptoHayes tells @CoinDesk he sees ethereum:native at $10,000 by the end of the year.
He said he can put real size into Ethereum without waking up to a 75% hack, and that it is still the most secure… pic.twitter.com/NvqWCLADgE
— Crypto Banter (@crypto_banter) September 30, 2026
He also addressed why Ethereum has lagged other networks. He said it comes down to narratives shifting to other chains.
Why Hayes Sees Ethereum as Secure
Hayes pointed to Solana as an example. It captured the memecoin narrative and grew quickly while Ethereum slowed down.
“Ethereum pioneered this whole decentralized computer thing and then was the victim of its own success,” he said. Other blockchains picked up the activity Ethereum lost.
Despite this, Hayes argued Ethereum remains the most secure layer 1 network. He based this on its market capitalization compared to other altcoins.
Hayes’s own ETH trades have not always matched his bullish outlook. In August, he sold 2,365 ETH at about $1,821 each, a loss of $241,000. He had bought the ETH at an average of $1,923.
In July, he sold 5,900 ETH for close to $10 million. He had bought it days earlier for $10.58 million, a loss of more than $600,000.
ETF Flows Show a Recent Shift
Spot Ethereum ETFs had positive daily net inflows starting September 18. During that stretch, the funds attracted more than $850 million.
That streak ended with a $2.8 million outflow in the most recent 24-hour period. The prior week alone brought in $689.9 million of net inflows.
Total cumulative inflows into Ethereum ETFs now sit at $13.95 billion. September alone added $892 million in net inflows, with one trading day left in the month.
Ethereum’s quarterly performance has been stronger than its recent daily moves suggest. Coinglass data shows ETH gained almost 70% in Q3 2026.
That followed a 29.26% drop in Q1 and a 25.28% drop in Q2. The third quarter marked a turnaround after two losing quarters.
At the time of writing, ETH was down 1% over 24 hours and nearly 3% over the past week. Over two weeks, the coin was still up more than 11%, and it was 9% higher than a month ago.
