Ethereum Expected Recovery in Q2 with Pectra Upgrade and DEX Volume Dominance

Ethereum enters Q2/2025 with a 5% increase on Tuesday, after a bottoming out in the first quarter of the year. Two key factors that help ETH recover in this quarter are regaining the leading position in DEX trading volume and the upcoming Pectra mainnet upgrade. Ethereum Rises in DEX Trading According to data from DefiLlama, Ethereum has surpassed Solana in decentralized trading volume (DEX) in March 2025, ending Solana's winning streak since September 2024. Ethereum reached a trading volume of $64.69 billion, higher than Solana's $52.62 billion. However, the trading volume on DEX is gradually decreasing compared to a few months ago. Specifically, the total trading volume in January 2025 was $258.49 billion on Solana and $86.11 billion on Ethereum, much higher than the current figures. Hope From Pectra Upgrade The Pectra upgrade, expected to launch on April 30, 2025, is anticipated to drive the price of ETH back up. Analysts from Derive stated that ETH has a 22% chance of dropping below $1,600 before April 25, but at the same time, there is a 17% chance of surpassing $2,000. The Pectra upgrade brings important features such as wallet recovery, transaction batching ( and increased blob space. Recent Market Volatility According to Coinglass, in the past 24 hours, ETH futures contracts have been liquidated with a total value of $45.80 million, of which long positions accounted for $9.73 million and short positions accounted for $36.07 million. After a 5% increase on Tuesday, ETH is still facing resistance at $2,070, which has been the level that has blocked Ethereum's breakout for the past two weeks. If it can break through the levels of $2,070 and $2,260, ETH could enter a new uptrend. Conversely, if it drops below $1,800, the most important support may lie at $1,500. Conclusion Ethereum enters Q2 with many promising factors. Maintaining its leading position in DEX trading and the Pectra upgrade are two key factors that help ETH have recovery potential. However, with high volatility and the risk of futures contract liquidation, investors need to exercise caution when deciding to enter the market.