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The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced a delay in its decision regarding the approval of staking for Ethereum ETFs from asset manager Grayscale. This setback comes as the SEC awaits the confirmation of pro-crypto commissioner Paul Atkins, whose appointment has yet to be finalized.

SEC Postpones Staking Approval On Ethereum ETFs

On February 14, 2025, NYSE Arca, Inc. submitted a proposed rule change to the SEC, seeking to amend the listing and trading rules for Grayscale’s Ethereum Trust ETF and Grayscale Ethereum Mini Trust ETF to allow staking. 

The proposal was published for public comment on March 3, 2025. Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the SEC is required to act on such proposals within 45 days, although it can extend this period for good cause. 

The original deadline for the SEC’s decision was April 17, 2025, but the Commission has now extended this timeframe to June 1, 2025, to allow for a thorough evaluation of the proposal.

In a parallel move, Fox journalist Eleanor Terret reported that the SEC is also delaying its decision on whether to permit WisdomTree and VanEck to conduct in-kind creations and redemptions for their Bitcoin and Ethereum spot ETFs until June 3, 2025. 

As reported by Terret, the in-kind process allows for direct exchanges of the underlying assets—Bitcoin and Ethereum—rather than converting them into cash, which was previously mandated by the SEC under Gary Gensler’s leadership. 

New Era For Crypto?

Atkins’ delayed arrival at the SEC is partly due to procedural steps that require President Trump’s approval and a formal swearing-in. While this sign-off is expected to occur soon, it has left the agency in a state of transition, with implications for the future of crypto regulation.

However, this shift in regulatory approach signals a potential turning point for the cryptocurrency industry. Under Gensler’s tenure, the SEC was criticized for its stringent, enforcement-heavy stance towards cryptocurrency, which stifled innovation and created uncertainty for many market participants. 

Conversely, the anticipated arrival of Atkins, known for his pro-crypto perspective, may herald a new era of more favorable regulatory conditions.

Atkins’ position could pave the way for the approval of numerous altcoin ETFs filed by various asset managers, aimed at providing broader exposure to cryptocurrencies like XRP, Cardano, and Solana. 

ETH, the second largest cryptocurrency on the market, is trading at $1,630 on Monday, up 6% on a weekly basis. On longer time frames, the token is still down 15% after the sell-off in February and March that saw the price of ETH drop towards $1,380.

Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com 

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Ethereum might be on track to facing renewed pressure, according to an interesting technical outlook. Despite short bursts of recovery attempts, the broader market structure is still trying to flip in favor of bulls, but price movement shows that the bears are still in control. Notably, a recent technical analysis posted by crypto analyst Youriverse on the TradingView platform highlights a potential sharp drop in the price of Ethereum towards $1,400 if the current downward trend continues.

Strong Rejection From Key Fibonacci Zone Hints At Persistent Resistance

Technical analysis shows that the Ethereum price chart is currently characterized by a noticeable Fair Value Gap (FVG) on the 4-hour timeframe. This interesting gap was left behind after a steep 10% drop last Sunday, marking a strong area of seller dominance.

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This gap represents a zone of clear imbalance where selling activity outweighs buying pressure and has influenced Ethereum’s price action throughout the past seven days. Earlier last week, Ethereum retraced into this gap, reaching the midpoint, but was met with swift rejection. This swift rejection showed the intense selling pressure present within this Fair Value Gap. 

Interestingly, the Ethereum price has returned to this Fair Value Gap again, and another rejection here could send it back to a bottom below $1,400. Furthermore, Ethereum is trading within an area identified as the “golden pocket” of the Fibonacci extension indicator, which is drawn from the $1,383 bottom on April 9. Unless price action breaks decisively above this level and heads toward the next Fib level of 0.786 at $1,724, there is still a risk of a significant rejection that could lead to further downside below $1,400.

Stochastic RSI Weakness Suggests Possible Downturn Ahead For Ethereum

In addition to the Fair Value Gap and Ethereum’s struggle within the golden pocket of the Fibonacci retracement zone, the Stochastic RSI is now introducing another layer of bearish pressure to the current outlook. This momentum oscillator, which measures the relative strength of recent price movements, is approaching the overbought region on the daily timeframe. 

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Ethereum’s approach of overbought zone with the Stochastic RSI is due to inflows that have pushed the crypto’s price from the $1,383 bottom on April 9. Now that the Stochastic RSI is moving into the overbought zone, it adds to the bearish outlook that it could reject at the Fair Value Gap and start a new downside correction very soon. 

So far, the Ethereum price was rejected at $1,650 in the past 24 hours, which further supports the bearish continuation thesis. If the selling pressure builds again, as suggested by both the weakening RSI and persistent resistance at the Fair Value Gap, the analyst warns of a breakdown that could drag the price to as low as $1,400, or even lower.

At the time of writing, Ethereum is trading at $1,627.

Featured image from Unsplash, chart from Tradingview.com

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