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Good morning and welcome to the Hodl Report
If you’re still doubting ETH’s shot at $25K, you might want to schedule that humility check early. Between Layer 2 tailwinds, staking squeezes, and a dev roadmap that’s suddenly looking like it ate its Wheaties, the Ethereum bulls are foaming at the mouth and this time it’s not hopium. Let’s talk about why the smart money is quietly piling in before the crowd catches on.
Today’s Report
Ethereum’s Next Leap: Faster Blocks, Fresh Money, Higher Targets
Quick snapshot: Ether hovers near $3.4 K after a July melt‑up, powered by record ETF demand.
Ethereum just swapped out its training wheels for turbo boosters: zero‑knowledge real‑time proving aims to rocket throughput into four‑digit TPS territory without sacrificing decentralization, six‑second blocks are on deck, and “based” rollups will let Layer‑2s share liquidity like grown‑ups. Meanwhile, Wall Street is piling into spot ETH ETFs—BlackRock even wants staking yield—Joe Lubin just pulled a MicroStrategy with yield‑generating ETH, and the SEC’s new chair is waxing poetic about DeFi as “economic liberty.” Add it up and you’ve got an asset flirting with deflation, backed by institutional cash and a UX overhaul, making a $20‑25 K target by 2030 look less like hopium and more like a credible mid‑range pitch.
The upgrade track
6‑second blocks (EIP‑7782) — Halving slot time doubles throughput and halves confirmation anxiety.
ZK real‑time proving — zkEVM proofs generated inside each block aim for four‑digit TPS without sacrificing decentralization.
Based / native rollups — Next‑gen rollups share the same blockspace, killing liquidity silos and bridge risk. (Think “all L2s, one pool.”)
Bullish catalysts to watch
Wall‑Street thirst: U.S. spot ETH ETFs just set a $726 M single‑day inflow record, and BlackRock wants staking yield added to its fund.
Corporate treasuries: SharpLink Gaming now holds 280 K ETH, staking almost all of it—MicroStrategy‑style, but with yield.
Reg‑tailwind: SEC Chair Paul Atkins called DeFi “economic liberty,” hinting at friendlier rule‑making.
Where could price land?
Traditional model‑makers still anchor on fees, but Ethereum is morphing into a yielding store‑of‑value. VanEck’s base case pegs 2030 around $22 K (~$3 T cap) — an ~7× from today. If ETF flows, treasury demand, and real‑time ZK scaling all hit stride, that number looks less like moon math and more like a midpoint.
Bottom line: Faster rails + deeper liquidity + lighter regulation = a left‑tail‑protected, right‑tail‑open bet.
Big investors are buying this “unlisted” stock
When the founder who sold his last company to Zillow for $120M starts a new venture, people notice. That’s why the same VCs who backed Uber, Venmo, and eBay also invested in Pacaso.
Disrupting the real estate industry once again, Pacaso’s streamlined platform offers co-ownership of premier properties, revamping the $1.3T vacation home market.
And it works. By handing keys to 2,000+ happy homeowners, Pacaso has already made $110M+ in gross profits in their operating history.
Now, after 41% YoY gross profit growth last year alone, they recently reserved the Nasdaq ticker PCSO.
Paid advertisement for Pacaso’s Regulation A offering. Read the offering circular at invest.pacaso.com. Reserving a ticker symbol is not a guarantee that the company will go public. Listing on the NASDAQ is subject to approvals.
Today’s Top News
Headlines
Goldman, BNY team up to launch tokens tied to money market funds — Goldman and BNY are rolling out tokenized versions of money market fund shares, marking a key step in bridging blockchain and traditional finance.
PNC taps Coinbase to create crypto trading offering for bank customers — PNC Bank partners with Coinbase to enable customers to buy, hold, and sell crypto directly through their banking app—signaling deeper mainstream integration.
Why investors are eyeing ether as the next big crypto treasury play — Following Bitcoin trends, companies like BitMine are allocating billions to Ethereum, driven by staking and stablecoin utility
Crypto sector breaches $4 trillion in market value during pivotal week — Crypto market cap surpassed $4 trillion, fueled by Bitcoin hitting a record $120K and corporate treasury adoption
Bitcoin hitting $200K this year ‘very improbable,’ says analyst — Glassnode warns Bitcoin’s climb to $200K in 2025 is unlikely due to insufficient volume despite optimistic forecasts
Market Trendline
Price Action
Bitcoin is chilling just below its ATH after a brief dip—nothing wild, about –0.7% today. Ethereum took a sharper hit, down nearly –3.6%, dragging altcoins into mixed territory. TVL and volatility are low, but that’s slowly morphing into complacency. The broader market cap hovers around ~$3.8T, edging down ~5% over the past 24 hours
Notable Movers
Unifi Protocol DAO (UNFI) popped ~177%, riding a wave of DeFi chatter and volume surges. Smells like a pump, or at least some real usage—take your pick ZORA and Spark (SPK) leapt over +120%—both riding the NFT/DeFi zeitgeist—huge moves but fragile psychology
ETH is cooling after recent on-chain optimism; –0.2% in USD terms but –3.6% intraday—nothing shocking, just consolidating
Macro View
Institutions are not absent—they’re merely less showy. Prime brokers like FalconX and Hidden Road are gaining traction thanks to lower volatility and deep liquidity, even as big banks tread carefully . Senate buzz around crypto market-structure bills adds a regulatory backdrop—but don’t confuse that with clarity. If it does get signed, expect fresh capital streams and maybe even fresh idiots reinventing “crypto winter.”
Bottom Line
BTC and ETH are in consolidation mode, giving altcoins like UNFI, ZORA, and SPK space to explode—or implode. Institutional plumbing continues to deepen, adding sophistication—just don’t mistake that for fewer potholes. Today’s rally feels like a test, not a breakout.
Enjoy the ride, but keep your helmet on.
Today’s Top Tweet
Crypto Twitter Never Sleeps
Alts season can be amazing or devastating...
First the tide doesn't lift all boats so asset allocation is crucial !
Second, remember it usually happens in rolling pumps on different tokens. FOMO at these times will kill, conviction pays.
What is conviction? Your token must
— #Raoul Pal (#@RaoulGMI)
8:56 PM • Jul 16, 2025
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DISCLAIMER: None of this is financial advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. Please be careful and do your own research.