The recent Ethereum market movements have truly tested people's patience! Opening the chart, the $2980 level feels like a welded iron plate—prices fluctuate back and forth, surging past $3000 only to be hammered back down in minutes, dropping to $2880 then being pushed up again. The rhythm is more predictable than a market bell. Short-term traders are probably already bleeding from their screens, and even I, who have been watching the market for eight years, couldn't resist closing the chart yesterday and went for a tea break. This isn't really trading; it's more like playing a "psychological endurance challenge."

Many people are anxiously fixated on the $2980 figure—some hope to break through $3000 to chase longs, while others wait for a drop below $2880 to short. But I must be frank: don’t rush. The most critical thing right now isn't whether the price breaks in one direction or the other, but understanding what the main force is plotting. Once you see this move clearly, you'll know whether to lie low or go all in next.

Why does the main force keep "tinkering" within the $2880 to $3000 range? This is a classic "shakeout + accumulation" combo. Looking at the distribution of chips, after the initial volatility, a large number of retail investors' costs are concentrated around the $2900 to $2950 range. The main force keeps tugging within this narrow zone to make impatient short-term traders unable to withstand the oscillations, forcing them to cut losses and exit, while absorbing new funds entering the market—completing a major shift in chips. Simply put, if the main force wants to push prices up or down later, they first need to clear out those floating chips ready to run at any moment. Just like stabilizing the rear before a battle.