The balance of Ether (ETH) held on exchanges has slid to a multi-year low, with more than 31 million ETH leaving centralized exchanges in February, marking the largest monthly withdrawal since November.
While the ETH price remained near $2,000, derivatives data show a split between small buyers and larger sellers, raising the question of how the price may respond if demand becomes uniform across both retail and whale wallets.
Ether exchange reserves signal supply squeeze
Crypto analyst Arab Chain said that more than 31.6 million ETH left major exchanges in February, the highest monthly outflow since November. Binance led with roughly 14.45 million ETH withdrawn, nearly half of the total. OKX followed with about 3.83 million ETH, and Kraken recorded close to 1.04 million ETH.
Sustained withdrawals reduce the pool of coins readily available for spot trading activity. Coins moving to private wallets or staking platforms are typically less liquid in the short term. As a result, thinner exchange balances can heighten the price volatility when market activity surges.
Likewise, CryptoQuant data also showed that Binance’s Ether reserves have dropped to around 3.46 million ETH, the lowest level since 2020. In previous cycles, reserves peaked above 5 million ETH before entering a gradual downtrend marked by lower highs. The latest reading extends that decline.
With ETH trading below $2,000, the contraction in exchange supply places added focus on future demand. If buying pressure expands while reserves continue to fall, the available liquidity on order books may tighten further around the $2,000 threshold.
Related: Ether price again rejected at $2K: How low can ETH go in March?
Market remains split between retail and whales
Hyblock data highlighted a divergence across trade sizes. The cumulative volume delta (CVD), which tracks net aggressive buying and selling, stands near $95 million for smaller trades (between $0 and $10,000). That shows consistent retail-led buying pressure.
In contrast, the $10,000–100,000 trade bracket records roughly -$162 million in CVD, while the $100,000+ category sits near -$357 million. As observed, the larger participants have leaned towards net selling during the same period.
The bid–ask ratio has turned slightly positive, rising to around 0.2 before dipping to 0.03, indicating marginally stronger buying interest in recent sessions. The move follows a stretch of negative readings and points to short-term stabilization rather than broad conviction.
The aggregated open interest is near $9.41 billion, down from levels close to $10 billion in late February. The reduction signals that leverage has been trimmed as the price consolidates between $1,900 and $2,000.
If retail accumulation persists and large-scale selling slows, bullish positioning may become more aligned. In that case, the reduced exchange supply may amplify the price move once ETH solidifies a position above $2,000-$2,150.
Related: AI ‘vibe coding’ could put Ethereum roadmap ahead of schedule: Vitalik Buterin
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