Arthur Hayes Repeats $10,000 Ether Target as ETF Inflows Turn Negative
Arthur Hayes, the former chief executive of BitMEX, restated his ether target on Wednesday: “$10,000 by the end of the year.” According to Coincentral, he gave that answer at the KBW2026 event in Seoul when CoinDesk asked for his Ethereum price prediction, in a clip CoinDesk posted on X that was later reshared by Crypto Banter.
Ether was trading near $2,700 at the time, roughly 46% below its record high of $4,946. Hayes’s target is more than three times that level. The same Coincentral report noted spot Ethereum ETFs had just posted a $2.8 million outflow, ending a stretch of daily net inflows that began September 18.
Key facts
- Hayes set his ether target at $10,000 by the end of 2026, speaking at KBW2026 in Seoul.
- ETH traded near $2,700, about 46% under its all-time high of $4,946.
- Spot ether ETFs took in a $2.8 million outflow in the most recent 24-hour period after more than $850 million of inflows during a streak that started September 18.
- Cumulative inflows into Ethereum ETFs stand at $13.95 billion, with $892 million added in September, per Coincentral.
- ETH rose almost 70% in Q3 2026 after a 29.26% Q1 drop and a 25.28% Q2 drop.
Why Hayes backs ether
Hayes said the size of a position he is willing to hold in ETH comes down to network security. He told the interviewer he can commit large sums without worrying about waking up to a 75% loss from an exploit, and he called Ethereum the most secure layer 1 network, reasoning from its market capitalisation against other altcoins.
He was also direct about why ether has trailed rival chains: attention moved elsewhere. He used Solana as the example, saying it took the memecoin narrative and expanded fast while Ethereum’s pace slowed. In his words, Ethereum pioneered the decentralised-computer concept and then became a victim of its own success, with other networks absorbing activity it lost.
Trading history cuts against the call
Hayes’s own ETH trades have not tracked his public optimism, as both Coincentral and Blockonomi noted. In August he sold 2,365 ETH at roughly $1,821 each, a $241,000 loss against an average purchase price of $1,923. In July he sold 5,900 ETH for close to $10 million, days after buying it for $10.58 million, a loss of more than $600,000.
ETF flows and a technical squeeze
The flow reversal marked a shift: the prior week alone brought $689.9 million of net inflows, and the streak that ended had attracted more than $850 million. Blockonomi reported the same $2.8 million withdrawal and the same $13.95 billion cumulative total, so the two accounts agree on the numbers, differing only in phrasing.
Price action has been tight. ETH held above $2,500 for two weeks but struggled to clear $2,800, and charts showed it consolidating inside a triangle. At the time of writing ether was down about 1% over 24 hours and nearly 3% over a week, though it was up more than 11% over two weeks and 9% over a month.
Why it matters
A $10,000 call from a widely followed BitMEX co-founder gives ETF holders and traders a loud bullish counterpoint to softening flows, even as the chart shows a coin stuck below resistance. It also puts a number on the argument that ether’s security premium should eventually re-rate it against chains that won faster retail narratives. For readers, the tension is the story: the largest-name bull case for ether is being made while the marginal ETF buyer has just stepped back.
What to watch
The next data points are the remaining days of September ETF flow reporting, since Coincentral noted one trading day was left in the month, and whether ETH can clear $2,800 or break the triangle. Any move above or below that range will frame how Hayes’s year-end call is judged. This is not financial advice, and crypto markets are volatile and unpredictable.
Disclaimer: This article is for information only and is not investment, financial or trading advice. Cryptocurrency prices are highly volatile. Always do your own research.
Sources: CoinCentral, Blockonomi
