Ethereum (ETH) is displaying conflicting market indicators, as on-chain data developments are met with constant outflows from spot Ethereum exchange-traded funds (ETF).

According to IntoTheBlock’s “On-chain Insights” newsletter, ETH’s price surged over 7% in the past week, with addresses “in the money” increasing from 59% to 66%. Additionally, 82% of ETH volume is currently in profit.

Moreover, network activity has seen a significant uptick, with weekly fees reaching $45 million, the highest since June 10, 2024. The Ethereum derivatives market also shows renewed optimism, evidenced by a positive shift in the 30-day moving average of funding rates.

However, these positive developments are contrasted by large outflows from Ether ETFs, which experienced their most substantial withdrawals since July, with over $79 million removed on Sept. 23 alone.

IntoTheBlock analysts highlighted that this outflow suggests a divergence between price movements and investor confidence in Ether’s future outlook.

The mixed signals come as both crypto and stock markets respond similarly to macroeconomic factors, particularly US Federal Reserve decisions. Bitcoin’s correlation with US stocks has reached a two-year high, only surpassed in Q2 2022.

While Ethereum’s network activity and price figures have improved, it still struggles to capture traditional finance investors’ interest compared to Bitcoin’s “digital gold” narrative.

This disparity highlights the complex relationship between crypto markets and traditional finance as the sector continues to evolve.

Bullish developments on the sidelines

Despite the significant outflows, Ethereum has been met with important developments recently.

Financial consulting firm Guggenheim issued $20 million worth of tokenized commercial paper through AmpFi.Digital, a company that uses Ethereum’s infrastructure to offer tokenization services to institutional clients.

Moreover, Visa announced a platform to help banks in tokenizing fiat-backed assets. The Visa Tokenized Asset Platform (VTAP) will also tap Ethereum technology to create digital representations of real-world assets (RWA).

Notably, Ethereum dominates the tokenized US treasuries market. As per RWA.xyz data, over $1.5 billion in tokenized US government securities are issued on Ethereum, which is roughly 70% of this sector’s market cap.