The cost of Ethereum can demonstrate dynamics independent of other crypto assets after The Merge, since staking will make ETH practically analogous to bonds or commodities. This conclusion was expressed by the Chainalysis analytics.

The next merge may become a prerequisite for increased attention from institutionalists. Experts say that large investors are attracted by the likely return of 10-15% per annum, which is more than the yield from bonds and commodities.

Chainalysis notes that the number of institutional holdings of Ethereum (about $1 million in cryptocurrency) is “constantly growing.” An uptick after the merge would much more quickly confirm the hypothesis that investors “really see staking the second-largest cryptocurrency by capitalization as a good profit strategy.”

Former BitMEX CEO Arthur Hayes believes that in 2022, amid the transition of Ethereum to Proof-of-Stake, the price of the crypto asset will reach $3,000. The entrepreneur believes that the decrease in the number of ETH after the merge will be a huge impetus for the growth in the value of the coin.

After The Merge, the daily Ether emission rate will decrease from 13,000 ETH to 1,600 ETH. The growth of the asset is influenced not only by the decrease in the number of coins, but also by the need of crypto enthusiasts to use the Ethereum network. Now a large number of decentralized applications are created on its basis.

“Unless there is a drop in interest in DeFi projects, the demand for Ethereum will exceed the supply. Therefore, the price of the coin should rise despite the long-term decline in the cryptocurrency market and the current macroeconomic environment, when the US Federal Reserve raises interest rates to curb inflation,” Hayes said.

Meanwhile, CoinGecko CEO Bobby Ong predicts that “many markets and protocols will become unstable, confusing and complex, especially in the hours before and after the merge.” The expert believes that in the near future “one or more forks of ETH PoW may appear.”