Cryptocurrency investors who maintained their Ethereum (ETH) holdings through April 2025 are being lauded for their resilience, following a period characterized by significant market downturns and widespread negative sentiment. Prominent crypto figure DCinvestor, in a recent social media post, acknowledged the fortitude of these holders, stating, > "if you held through this in April 2025, i want you to know that you are a mf’ing legend in my book." The tweet further described the period as "one of the darkest periods with the greatest psyops I’ve ever seen in Ethereum’s modern history."France
April 2025 saw Ethereum's price drop dramatically, reaching as low as $1,410 on April 7, a level not seen since March 2023. This plunge represented a continuation of a downtrend that had seen ETH correct by approximately 65% over the preceding four months. The sharp decline triggered over $370 million in leveraged ETH futures liquidations within just two days, reflecting intense selling pressure and market uncertainty.
The challenging market conditions for Ethereum were exacerbated by several factors contributing to negative sentiment, or "psyops" as described by DCinvestor. Ethereum significantly underperformed Bitcoin during this time, trading near its lowest levels against BTC in six years. Concerns were also raised about the network's fundamental stagnation, with developer activity dropping to levels last observed in 2018, and the anticipated Pectra upgrade being postponed from April to May 7.
Despite the severe downturn and prevailing pessimism, Ethereum began a strong recovery from late April 2025. The cryptocurrency surged by 65% since its late April lows, breaking past the $4,000 threshold by early August. This significant rebound has been fueled by a technical breakout and renewed institutional interest, including substantial inflows into Ethereum ETFs.
The period underscores the volatile nature of cryptocurrency markets and the importance of investor conviction. The recovery demonstrates Ethereum's underlying strength and its ability to regain momentum even after facing what many considered a profoundly challenging phase.