Ethereum (ETH), the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap, has seen a mix of sideways trading and renewed investor interest in recent weeks. Despite hovering in the $2,200–$2,600 range, prominent market analyst Tom Lee of Fundstrat Global Advisors remains confident in ETH’s long-term potential. In fact, Lee has gone as far as to say that Ethereum could reach $10,000, driven by a wave of global adoption in tokenized real-world assets.

Ethereum’s Price: Stable, But Ready to Move?

Ethereum’s price has remained range-bound lately, consolidating between $2,200 and $2,600. Bulls have been defending key levels like $2,383, a critical support that saw a bounce recently. This indicates that while ETH hasn’t broken out decisively, there is consistent buying interest keeping it afloat.

Technical analysts suggest that if ETH can break above the $2,600 resistance and hold, short-term targets could extend toward $2,780 and beyond. On the flip side, a failure to hold above support could lead to a revisit of the $2,200 level.

Despite this lack of volatility, Tom Lee argues that Ethereum’s current lull might be setting the stage for a much bigger move.

Tom Lee’s Bullish Case for Ethereum

In a recent interview with Coinage, Tom Lee outlined the key reasons behind his $10,000 price target for Ethereum. While that level may sound overly optimistic in the current market climate, Lee’s reasoning is rooted in long-term trends, particularly the tokenization of real-world assets.

Lee believes Ethereum is best positioned to benefit from the growing shift toward digitizing financial products like stocks, bonds, real estate, and fiat currencies. As more institutions and companies embrace blockchain technology, Ethereum’s robust infrastructure and developer ecosystem make it the preferred choice for tokenization platforms.

Real-World Tokenization: A Massive Opportunity

Tokenization refers to converting real-world assets into digital tokens that can be issued, traded, and settled on a blockchain. This allows for fractional ownership, enhanced liquidity, and greater transparency—key benefits that appeal to both retail and institutional players.

Big names like Robinhood and Coinbase (via the Base network) are already building tools and products on Ethereum to support tokenized assets. According to Lee, this is a signal of Ethereum’s strategic importance in the financial world of the future.

“Ethereum could probably go to $10,000 if the world realizes tokenizing assets is the future,” Lee said, emphasizing that the demand for a scalable, secure blockchain like Ethereum will only increase as tokenization scales globally.

U.S. Regulatory Edge

Another factor supporting Lee’s bullish stance is Ethereum’s perceived regulatory advantage. Since much of Ethereum’s infrastructure and activity is based in the U.S. or aligned with U.S. regulations, it has a level of legitimacy that many other blockchains don’t.

This positioning could make Ethereum the go-to network for regulated tokenized securities and other compliant digital financial products in the United States and abroad.

Market Sentiment: Capitulation May Signal Bottom

Tom Lee also pointed out an interesting psychological angle. He noted that many investors have given up on Ethereum, assuming its best growth days are behind it. Paradoxically, this pessimism could be a bullish indicator. In financial markets, the most explosive rallies often occur after prolonged periods of disinterest or capitulation.

If mainstream financial institutions start to embrace tokenized assets en masse, the value of Ethereum’s network would increase dramatically, likely driving demand for ETH and pushing prices significantly higher.

Near-Term Outlook: Cautious Optimism

For now, Ethereum remains in a sideways pattern, testing both support and resistance levels without a clear breakout. Bulls are defending the $2,383–$2,400 area, while the $2,600–$2,780 zone presents a significant challenge on the upside.

Traders and analysts are closely watching broader market cues, especially macroeconomic data from the U.S. and developments around ETH spot ETFs, which could inject new momentum into the market.

Final Thoughts

Tom Lee’s $10,000 Ethereum price prediction may seem bold, but it’s not without merit. His thesis is based on real-world trends like the institutional adoption of tokenized assets, Ethereum’s regulatory edge, and the platform’s dominance in the smart contract and DeFi space.

While Ethereum remains in a holding pattern for now, the stage may be set for a long-term bullish breakout—especially if the rest of the financial world starts embracing the very trends Lee is betting on.