Ethereum Leverage Ratio Hits Record High as Traders Pile Into Risky Bets

The derivatives market for Ethereum (ETH) on Binance hit a new extreme on December 19, when leverage tied to ETH positions climbed to its highest level ever recorded.

The move shows traders leaning heavily into borrowed positions at a time when Ethereum’s price remains fragile, raising the stakes for both sharp rebounds and sudden pullbacks.

Leverage Spikes as Aggressive Buying Returns

According to on-chain analytics account CryptoOnchain, Ethereum’s Estimated Leverage Ratio (ELR) on Binance reached 0.611, the highest reading on record. The metric tracks how much borrowed capital traders are using relative to exchange reserves, with higher values pointing to greater risk across open positions.

At the same time, the ETH Taker Buy Sell Ratio jumped to 1.13, a level last seen in September 2023. CryptoOnchain pointed out that a ratio above one means market buyers are outweighing sellers, showing traders are willing to pay the market price to enter long positions.

Some technical traders echoed that cautious optimism, with analyst Ted Pillows posting on X that ETH had bounced after touching the $2,700 to $2,800 support band. He said holding that zone keeps a move toward $3,100–$3,200 in play, while a breakdown could drag prices back to around $2,500.

However, CryptoOnchain cautioned that the current setup is a “double-edged sword.” While it provides the impetus to kick ETH’s price past higher resistance levels, the accumulation of leveraged positions at historical highs also leaves the market vulnerable to extreme volatility, meaning that the smallest correction “increases the probability of a long squeeze.”

Price Action Clashes With Soft Network Signals

The leverage buildup comes just one day after broader warnings about Ethereum’s weakening structure. As reported previously, ETH had dropped about 12% over the prior week and was struggling below major resistance near $3,660, with several analysts pointing to lower targets if support continues to fail.

At the time of writing, the asset was trading just above $2,900, up over 3% on the day but still down about 9% in the last seven days and more than 4% over the past month. Additionally, the token has lost about one-third of its value over the past three months, and slightly over 20% year-on-year, which has pushed it over 40% below its August all-time high near $5,000.

Volatility remains elevated, with ETH moving between roughly $2,780 and $3,000 over the past 24 hours, while daily trading volume has climbed to nearly $39 billion, suggesting heightened speculative activity rather than steady spot demand.

That view lines up with earlier on-chain data shared by CryptoOnchain, which showed active sending addresses near a one-year low. The analyst said retail participation appears muted, a pattern often seen after extended choppy price action. Historically, such phases have lined up with accumulation by longer-term holders, but they can also limit short-term upside without fresh demand.

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