Ethereum Price Target $40,000: Standard Chartered Holds Bullish Outlook

Standard Chartered has reaffirmed its long-term Ethereum price targets of $4,000 by end-2026 and $40,000 by 2030, maintaining its bullish outlook despite ETH underperforming in recent months.

The bank compared Ethereum’s current position to Amazon during the 2001 dot-com crash, arguing that ETH’s price is lagging behind its improving fundamentals and will eventually catch up. Standard Chartered said Ethereum’s current valuation does not reflect rising network usage, growing DeFi activity, or expanding tokenised asset volumes.

Where ETH Trades Now

Ethereum is trading around $2000 and the chart shows sustained rejection from the $2,200 to $2,400 resistance zone that has capped every recovery attempt in recent months.

A bullish divergence is forming on the four-hour chart with the price making lower lows while the RSI is producing higher lows. The same pattern played out previously and produced a brief bounce followed by sideways price action before the bearish trend resumed.

Important Levels to Watch

On the upside:

• $2,010 to $2,030 is the immediate resistance zone
• $2,080 is the next level if $2,030 breaks
• $2,140 to $2,150 is strong resistance above that

On the downside:

• $1,970 is the immediate support based on recent lows
• $1,910 to $1,930 is the next meaningful support below

The Gap Between Price and Fundamentals

Standard Chartered’s Amazon comparison is the core of its argument. Amazon traded at a fraction of its eventual value during the 2001 crash despite its business growing steadily through the downturn. The bank believes ETH is in a similar position where short-term price weakness is disconnecting from longer-term network value.

Whether ETH reaches $4,000 by year end requires more than double from current levels. The CLARITY Act passing and improving macro conditions are the catalysts the bank is pointing to as the triggers for that move.