Ethereum’s price has lagged Bitcoin at key moments, retail confidence is low, and each failed breakout has given critics another reason to claim that ETH has lost its place. However, some market experts do not buy this idea.

One market expert on the opposite side of this argument is Tom Lee. Co-founder of Fundstrat and CEO of BitMine he still defended himself Ethereum’s long-term setup, with a 2026 ETH target around $12,000.

Ethereum’s $10,000 case is bigger than one prediction

Tom Lee is one of more vocal names in the bull camp for Ethereum. The Fundstrat co-founder and CEO of BitMine reportedly predicts Ethereum will reach a price of $9,000 to $12,000 by the end of 2026, placing him among experts who believe ETH’s current weakness is ephemeral.

Leeward he did Ethereum’s 2026 year-end forecast at Consensus Miami, combining the range with Bitcoin’s forecast of $150,000-$200,000 and declaring that crypto winter is now over. It was a statement of confidence that stood out even at the conference a room full of optimists.

Lee’s company, Bitmine Immersion Technologies, holds over 5.18 million ETH worth approximately $12.07 billion, built-in position less than a year and the estimated cost is approximately $230 million per tranche per week. This Bitmine accumulation trend has been compared many times Bitcoin accumulation strategy textbook and Lee leaned over it.

Interestingly, Ethereum’s predictions of over $10,000 are not circumscribed to Lee. Crypto Analyst Patel offered a complementary set of drivers in a post on X, forecasting Ethereum’s price at around $10,000-$15,000 this cycle.

Another cryptocurrency analyst named Celal Kucuker also shared the gain Ethereum’s Outlook for X on May 9, showing a long-term roadmap that puts ETH on course for a move above $24,000.

Why are market experts predicting Ethereum’s price above $10,000?

Market experts point to various reasons why Ethereum will break above $10,000. For example, Patel’s Crypto forecast was based on a number of institutional changes, including BlackRock’s application for tokenized money market funds on Ethereum, JPMorgan’s MONY fund launching on the network, and BlackRock’s BUIDL fund, which reached $2.85 billion and became the largest real-world asset product on any blockchain.

Tom Lee made a similar argument, laying out his prospects for Ethereum based on Wall Street’s growing shift toward blockchain infrastructure. Another huge move in the markets, according to Lee will not be action-led. It will be driven in particular by cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin and Ethereum.

Therefore, projections above $10,000 do not come from a single point of view. Some experts focus on institutional adoption, others on tokenization and stablecoins, and some read Long-term Ethereum chart structure as a sign that there is still room in the assets for a enormous bike rally.

Featured image from Adobe Stock, chart from Tradingview.com