Ethereum nears $2K as options expiry and whale selling hit price

Ethereum is facing heightened volatility as broader market jitters pull ETH towards the $2,000 level.

The drawdown from weekly highs near $2,250 comes as the sector heads into a massive options expiry.

What is the Ethereum price outlook as losses test trader sentiment amid whale activity and mounting technical pressure?

Ethereum March 27 options expiration data

The market is witnessing one of the largest crypto options expirations today, March 27, 2026, with significant exposure across Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other major assets.

Notably, 68,000 BTC options expired, reflecting a put-call ratio of 0.56.

This suggests a moderately bullish tilt, with the max pain point around $74,000. Bitcoin was trading near $68,500 early Friday.

Meanwhile, Ethereum options mark the largest quarterly expiry on Deribit, with approximately $2.12 billion in open interest across 1.03 million contracts.

Ethereum’s expiry involved around 370,000 ETH contracts, mirroring Bitcoin’s put-call ratio of 0.56.

According to analysts at Greeks.live, this points to relatively balanced positioning, with no clear dominance from bearish bets.

The max pain level stood near $2,250, aligning broadly with recent resistance levels.

Historically, large options expiries have triggered short-term price swings as positions unwind, and this event could similarly amplify Ethereum’s volatility.

Ethereum ICO whale sells $23 million ETH

Adding to the downward pressure on Ethereum’s price on March 27 is a significant offload by an early “OG” whale.

Data shared by Lookonchain on X shows that an early Ethereum ICO participant sold 11,552 ETH worth $23.42 million at an average price of $2,027.

This investor initially allocated just $12,000 during the 2014 ICO to acquire 38,800 ETH at $0.31 per token—a position still valued at roughly $79.54 million despite the recent sale.

While such sales can reflect profit-taking or risk management, large offloads from early holders often influence market sentiment.

At the same time, some investors appear to be buying the dip, with institutions continuing to explore staking opportunities amid a stagnant market.

ETH price analysis

Ethereum’s price action reflects short-term fragility, with $110.4 million in liquidations over the past 24 hours highlighting current market stress.

Despite this, open interest (OI) remains elevated, suggesting traders are still positioning for potential upside.

On the daily chart, ETH is hovering around $2,060, maintaining a neutral near-term bias with a slight downside tilt.

The price remains below the 20-day EMA near $2,110 and trails the 50- and 100-day EMAs at approximately $2,185 and $2,440, respectively.

This setup could allow bears to retain control in the short term.

“This Friday marks the quarterly settlement, with over 40% of options expiring. The $75,000 level remains a strong resistance point, and breaking above it within the next three days will be challenging,” Greeks.live noted.

Ethereum’s price could mirror this broader market trajectory.

Failure to reclaim higher levels may allow bears to test the $2,000 support zone. Below that, the next major support lies around $1,800.