The crypto market is currently witnessing a significant "bloodbath" as we navigate through February 2026. Ethereum ($ETH) has seen a sharp decline, fueled by $Bitcoin losing its critical $70,000 foothold. This downward momentum has left the second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap fighting for survival at the $2,000 psychological level.
Adding fuel to the bearish fire, on-chain reports from Coinpaper and other analytics platforms have confirmed that Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin sold 2,972 ETH (worth approximately $6.69 million) over the last three days. While these sales are often associated with philanthropy via the Kanro entity, the timing has intensified the "panic selling" sentiment among retail traders.
When the most prominent figure in the ecosystem moves such a volume to exchanges during a market-wide correction, it often signals a lack of immediate upward catalysts, causing investors to seek safety in hardware wallets to protect their remaining capital.
The below $ETH/USD 1-hour chart shows a textbook descending channel that has dominated the price action since early February.
ETH/USD 1H - TradingView
The crash isn't happening in isolation. With Bitcoin struggling to reclaim $70,000, high-leverage positions on major crypto exchanges are being flushed out. According to Reuters, institutional interest in ETH ETFs has also cooled, with net outflows recording millions in losses this week.
Traders should exercise extreme caution. Until Ethereum can reclaim the $2,200 level and stabilize, the trend remains firmly to the downside. The breach of $2,000 could act as a "tripwire" for a massive liquidation event.


