Ethereum has moved upwards in the first week of 2025, with bulls clinching huge accumulations and anticipating a run this month. The leading altcoins’ on-chain metrics back trader sentiments, leading to more inflows. Other assets have also moved similarly, springing up debates on the altcoin season. ETH Futures Market Fuels Bull Projections Crypto analyst ShayanBTC points to a positive futures market for Ethereum as a main indicator of the general sentiment. Specifically, the Taker Buy Sell Ratio shows how buyers and sellers execute orders. At present levels above 1, buyers are setting the tone, increasing pressure as projected by bulls. This follows the slight market correction seen towards the end of last year after the ETH price slipped below $3,500. The downtrend wiped out billions from the market cap and creeping trading volume. However, bulls were repositioned to buy the dip with high-value accumulations at the end of the year. According to ShayanBTC, present data shows a massive shift coupled with soaring investor confidence in Ethereum. At the time of writing, Ethereum’s price moved up to $3,634, a 2.3% growth today, adding to its 8% weekly run. The first week of 2025 was also marked by increasing trading volumes and decentralized finance (DeFi) activity. “ The Taker Buy Sell Ratio, a pivotal metric for assessing sentiment in the futures market, provides insights into whether buyers or sellers are more aggressive in executing market orders. Following Ethereum’s bullish rebound near the $3K support, this metric has exhibited a notable uptick, indicating a surge in market buy orders within the futures market,” he added. Institutional Volume Spikes Crypto institutional volume has recorded huge growth in the past two weeks as the U.S. regulatory terrain is expected to cool. Ethereum has led altcoins in these inflows due to its range of smart contracts and staking mechanisms. Other altcoins like XRP, Dogecoin, and Cardano also saw increased demand. This week, XRP topped USDT to become the third-largest crypto by market capitalization. The asset surged over 10% this week as institutional demand flows in on the back of anticipated spot ETFs in the United States. XRP bulls set sights on a price above $3 in the next bull peak. Solana is already up 11% this year, trading at $216, while Cardano notched a huge 20% inflow last week. Meme coins are the biggest gainers, with some assets hitting triple-digit rallies following institutional demand for top assets.