Ethereum’s price has lagged Bitcoin at key times, retail confidence is low, and each failed breakout has given critics a new reason to claim ETH has lost its place. However, some market experts do not believe this idea.
One of those market experts who takes the opposite side of that argument is Tom Lee. The co-founder of Fundstrat and chairman of BitMine has continued to defend Ethereum’s setup for the long term, with its 2026 ETH target around $12,000.
The $10,000 Ethereum case is bigger than one prediction
Tom Lee is one of them the more vocal names in the bullish camp for Ethereum. The Fundstrat co-founder and chairman of BitMine has reportedly projected Ethereum at a value of $9,000 to $12,000 by the end of 2026, putting him among experts who believe ETH’s current weakness is temporary.
Related reading
Lee made the Ethereum forecast for late 2026 at Consensus Miami, combining the range with a Bitcoin projection of $150,000 to $200,000, calling the crypto winter already over. It was a declaration of confidence that stood out even at a conference Room full of optimists.
Lee’s company, Bitmine Immersion Technologies, owns over 5.18 million ETH worth approximately $12.07 billion, a built-in position less than a year, at an estimated cost of approximately $230 million per tranche per week. This accumulation trend of Bitmine has been compared repeatedly Strategy’s Bitcoin Accumulation playbook, and Lee has leaned into it.
Interestingly enough, the Ethereum prediction of over $10,000 is not limited to Lee. Crypto Analyst Patel offered an additional set of drivers in a post on
Another crypto analyst named Celal Kucuker also shared a bullish one Ethereum outlook on X on May 9, laying out a long-term roadmap that puts ETH on track for a possible move above $24,000.
Why are market experts predicting an Ethereum price above $10,000?
Market experts point to several reasons why Ethereum will break above $10,000. For example, Crypto Patel’s prediction was built around a series of institutional developments, including BlackRock’s application for tokenized money market funds on Ethereum, JPMorgan’s MONY fund going live on the network, and BlackRock’s BUIDL fund reaching $2.85 billion to become the largest real asset product on any blockchain.
Related reading
Tom Lee has made a similar argument, with his Ethereum vision based on Wall Street’s growing movement toward blockchain infrastructure. According to Lee, the next big step in the markets will not be guided by shares. It will be mainly driven by crypto, Bitcoin and Ethereum.
This is why the predictions above $10,000 do not come from a single angle. Some experts are focused on institutional adoption, others are focused on tokenization and stablecoins, and some are reading Ethereum’s long-term chart structure as a sign that the asset still has room for a major cycle rally.
Featured image from Adobe Stock, chart from Tradingview.com