Why Ethereum Dropped Below $1,650: Record ETF Outflows, Whale Sales, and a $674M Liquidation Trapdoor

Ethereum’s slide below $1,650 in late June 2026 was not a single-event crash but a multi-factor squeeze. Record-breaking spot ETF outflows, leveraged long liquidations, dormant whale sell-offs, and a risk-off macro backdrop all converged to push the second-largest cryptocurrency to its lowest level since April 2025. Here is a breakdown of the key pressures behind the selling.

Record-Breaking Ethereum ETF Outflows

The most persistent pressure came from US spot Ethereum ETFs, which logged 16 to 17 consecutive sessions of net outflows by late June, with the last net inflow recorded on May 8. Ether hit its lowest level since April 2025 as these record withdrawals, combined with weakening investor sentiment and deteriorating macroeconomic conditions, triggered heavy selling across the market. According to SoSoValue data, the products recorded $30.24 million in net outflows on June 25 alone. BitMine added 126,971 ETH to its treasury during this same week, but the ETF selling overwhelmed the market.

Leveraged Longs and the $674M Liquidation Trapdoor

A key technical factor was the concentration of leveraged long positions at the $1,648 support level. Coinglass data showed that a drop below $1,648 would trigger approximately $674 million in long liquidations across major centralized exchanges, creating a cascading sell-off. On June 23, ETH liquidations totaled $28.26 million, with 98.7% of those being long positions. Cryptocurrency markets had weakened broadly during the week ending June 8, with approximately $1.8 billion in crypto liquidations occurring mid-week, primarily long positions, as Bitcoin approached two-month lows.

Dormant Whale Activity and Large On-Chain Moves

On-chain data revealed multiple whale moves that added to the selling pressure:

The 7-Year Dormant Whale Sale

A wallet labeled 0x0965 reactivated after seven years of inactivity and sold 27,585 ETH within 48 hours, worth approximately $44.8 million at an average price of about $1,625 per token, with estimated profits surpassing $39 million. The whale originally acquired the ETH for approximately $5.72 million and still held over 22,000 ETH after the sale.

The 3-Year Dormant Whale's Aave Leverage

A separate whale, dormant for three years, reemerged and deposited 20,000 ETH (worth approximately $33.28 million) into Aave V3 to borrow 30 million USDT. The whale then used the borrowed stablecoins to buy more ETH—17,826 additional tokens at an average price of $1,683—boosting its total holdings to 56,380 ETH, valued at more than $94 million. This was framed as leveraged accumulation rather than simple spot selling, but it signaled large holders making aggressive moves in a fragile market. Another whale systematically borrowed a total of 44,389 ETH from Aave for sale on the spot market, representing about $80.56 million in coordinated distribution.

Macro and Risk-Off Pressure

Beyond crypto-specific factors, broader macroeconomic conditions dampened risk appetite. Persistent CPI inflation at 3.8% and a global chip rout sent money fleeing risk assets across every class on June 23, compounding the crypto market's weakness. The broader crypto decline was reported as being driven by institutional outflows and external pressures rather than any single crypto catalyst.

Bottom Line: A Multi-Factor Squeeze

The drop below $1,650 was the result of sustained ETF outflows, crowded leveraged longs, large dormant-whale transactions hitting thin liquidity, and a broader risk-off backdrop all hitting Ethereum sentiment simultaneously. Even with some whale activity reflecting accumulation rather than distribution, the combination left sentiment fragile. As of late June, Ethereum was trading near $1,670, below its 200-day moving average and still under pressure from persistent ETF redemptions.