SEC Ethereum ETF Ruling Expected in May, Could Send ETH to $4K

• The SEC may use similar tactics for Ethereum ETFs as it did for Bitcoin ETFs.
• Analysts predict a key decision in mid-May, specifically targeting May 23 for fund application deadlines.
• Ethereum is expected to face initial rejections followed by eventual approval, similar to Bitcoin’s ETF journey.

The Securities and Exchange Commission could follow eerily similar tactics with its pending ruling over proposed spot Ethereum exchange-traded funds (ETFs) as it recently did with sanctioning Bitcoin ETFs, says a new Standard Chartered report. Analysts eye mid-May as a prime decision target to send ETH to $4K—if the past proves prelude.

Strategists at the global financial giant anticipate the SEC allowing ETH spot ETF trading within a year because ETH hasn’t suffered the same regulatory scrutiny from U.S. agencies as rival altcoins. That pathway suggests another round of initial rejections before fund approvals pass on deadline day this spring.

Ethereum ETFs could receive approval in May

Per the report, the most auspicious date is May 23, when deadlines expire for specific fund applications under consideration. The mirrored timeline takes on more weight given Bitcoin’s own bumpy but ultimately successful ETF saga playing out on a similar schedule over the past six months.

“We see no fundamental reason for the SEC to view ETH differently than the CME already does,” stated the analysts, referencing regulated ether futures trading that began in 2021.

The team also expects less violent price fluctuations around announcement dates given Ethereum’s more diversified investment base, insulating it from potentially shaky interest in a Grayscale fund conversion. But they estimate a run toward $4,000 nonetheless, as optimism mounts with each incremental step.

Earlier in February, the same bank projected the Bitcoin price surging toward $100K this year as renewed institutional avenues like U.S. spot ETFs entice Wall Street capital. The thesis considers token prices as the soundest barometers to measure the industry’s ongoing mainstream adoption.

With SEC decisions promising the next landmark milestones spurring billions in inflows, analysts say Ethereum’s outlook remains decidedly constructive both fundamentally and technically on medium-term horizons.