Ready-to-Rip ETH

“Ethereum Is Where It’s At”

When Wall Street strategist Tom Lee talks crypto, investors pay attention.

As co-founder of Fundstrat Global Advisors and now chairman of BitMine, Lee has built a reputation for bold market predictions.

He doesn’t get every call right, but when he does, it can be huge — like in 2021, when he forecast Bitcoin’s surge to $60,000 while most doubters rolled their eyes.

Now Lee is planting a flag for Ethereum…

Speaking at Korea Blockchain Week 2025’s Impact conference earlier this month, Lee calls Ethereum a “truly neutral chain” that both Wall Street — and the White House — will prefer.

“I don’t think anyone ever feels that someone’s got a fat finger tilting [Ethereum] in their favor,” Lee says. “If you think about how Wall Street operates, they will only want to [operate] on a neutral chain.”

Plus, Lee argues that Ethereum’s neutrality is exactly what big institutions want as they edge toward widespread blockchain adoption. In his view, this is the chain that can underpin a financial system where no single party calls the shots.

And with the Trump administration leaning more pro-crypto, he notes that both the White House and Congress are already favoring Ethereum.

“When I look at that, combined with agentic AI and robots that are really going to create the need for a token economy for robots, a lot of that will happen on Ethereum,” Lee adds.

He notes that Ethereum could even host identity systems like Trump’s proposed “proof of human” tools — technologies meant to distinguish people from bots and AI.

Lee’s also put his money where his mouth is…

BitMine, the company Lee chairs, pivoted into an Ethereum treasury model earlier this year. With over 2 million ETH on its book — worth about $10 billion today — BitMine is now the largest Ethereum treasury in the world.

Meanwhile, Lee says, institutional investors are treating BitMine (BMNR) and Bitcoin-focused Strategy Inc. (formerly MicroStrategy, MSTR) like large-cap stocks. “BitMine trades $3 billion a day, MicroStrategy trades $3.4 billion a day. I think the two of us represent 95% of all trading volume in the digital asset treasuries (DATs),” Lee explains.

That’s why he thinks Ethereum is entering a “super cycle” that could last 10–15 years.

In Lee’s view, Ethereum ends the year around $10,000–12,000. Then comes what he calls “real price discovery” — traders testing new highs between $12,000–15,000 as the market figures out how much Ethereum is really worth.

“But I don’t think that would be the ceiling for Ethereum,” he concludes.

“I think Ethereum is where it’s at,” Paradigm’s market analyst Greg Guenthner agrees.

“Judging by the snapback that we’ve seen since its lows in April, this thing has moved from $1,500 all the way up toward new all-time highs of $4,800,” he says “It’s been bleeding lower, right now [near] its 100-day moving average below these low swings from Aug. 19.

“So we’ve had these big downdrafts” — down almost 7% last week, for instance — “but now it’s starting to firm up just a little bit. Nothing to get too excited about yet.

“Watch out for a dip, followed by a rip… And, I’m going to throw this out there: I think Ethereum could run and potentially go crazy if it gets above $5,000 and really starts getting legs.

“I think the closest we got to $5K was about $4,940. But if we see a move above $5,000? It would not surprise me if we get a clean double, from $4,000 to $8,000 by January, if things really get frothy,” Greg says.

“I’m telling you, Ethereum has that capability of running hard. We’ve seen a lot of early rotation happening this year, going into Ethereum. If that continues after a gut check move like this, I think Ethereum could be a super-big winner heading into the end of the year. And one of the big melt-up darlings.

“If we do see a dip and rip,” Greg repeats, and “if you really want to make some big gains, keep your eye on Ethereum.”

[Circle Oct. 17 on your calendar because… Greg Guenthner, CMT, says that’s the day a mini market reset begins.

When you see CMT after a name — chartered market technician — it actually means something. It’s a tough technical credential, and Greg’s certainly put it to work. This year alone he’s called 18 winners, including nine triple-digit “God Candles.”

If you follow crypto, you know the pattern: A God Candle is that giant green bar, a sudden surge that can unfold in weeks, days or even minutes. Since 2020, Greg has nailed 36 of these moves, each going up 100% or more.

How? By running a rules-based system he’s honed for years to flag the setups before the headlines hit.

And now, he’s eyeing Oct. 17. Greg believes that’s when conditions line up for the kind of window that has historically unleashed a wave of God-Candle setups.

Watch Greg’s short interview here where he walks through the setup for a potential triple-digit win.]

Silver, Mr. Slammy and “Stimmy” Checks

It looked like silver’s rally might be in trouble yesterday, with the U.S. dollar index spiking to 98.13 and miners stumbling.

But by the closing bell, the pullback had faded into what editor Sean Ring calls “the perfect elixir to the raging, hyperbolic move we’ve seen in the miners lately.” His portfolio, chock-a-block with mining stocks, finished down just 1.6%.

That resilience comes down to the fading power of “Mr. Slammy,” Sean says.

In precious metals circles, Mr. Slammy is shorthand for the sudden, heavy futures sell orders — strongly suspected to come from big banks — that used to crush precious metals rallies.

But Sean notes: “Mr. Slammy doesn’t have nearly the power he used to. There are far too many Western and Asian buyers for him. The recoveries are coming thick and fast.”

And now the big banks themselves are catching on. UBS has lifted its silver forecast to $44–47 by mid-2026, while Jefferies’ models suggest gold could push toward $6,600 — or even higher if money supply metrics are applied.

And these lofty projections may underestimate other forces at play…

As Sean points out, Washington shows no appetite for fiscal restraint. “In an exclusive interview with OANN yesterday,” he notes, “President Trump said the following (bolds mine):

With the kind of growth we have now, the debt is very low, relatively speaking. You grow yourself out of that debt. The numbers we have now are bigger than they ever were. We also might make a distribution to the people.

We’re thinking almost $1,000–2,000.

“Needless to say,” Sean adds, “this plan is loco. Debt is ludicrously high, and getting worse, thanks to the deficits he’s running.

“If anything, The Donald needs to stop spending money so lavishly. Handing out stimulus checks willy-nilly was what caused the CPI, an already flawed metric that underestimates inflation, to rise to nearly 10% under [Biden’s] presidency.”

Sean’s key takeaway: “This alone is reason enough to hang on to your gold, silver and miners' positions for the foreseeable future. Now is not the time to be taking profits on your long-term positions.

“The evidence is overwhelmingly in favor of an extended rally in gold, silver, platinum, palladium and a wide range of other metals and miners,” he concludes. “In this once-in-a-lifetime situation, stay long or stay wrong.”

And just like that, precious metals are catching bids today…

Silver, in fact, is up 3.85% to $48.15 while gold’s up 1.15% to $3,912.90 per ounce. Elsewhere in commodities, oil is up 1% to $61.10 for a barrel of WTI.

Stocks, likewise, are in the green. This afternoon, the Big Board’s gaining the most traction: up 1.10% to 47,035. The S&P 500 is up 0.50% to 6,750, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq’s up 0.30% to 22,900.

At the same time, crypto’s in rally mode. Bitcoin’s up 2.10% to $123,425. Ethereum? Up almost 1% to $4,545.

First Brands Rhymes with Enron?

When First Brands Group filed bankruptcy this week, most headlines focused on the mountain of debt — about $12 billion tallied so far.

But to veteran short seller Jim Chanos, this isn’t just another corporate failure. It’s a signal flare for the entire financial system.

Chanos, who famously shorted Enron two decades ago, tells the Financial Times that First Brands’ downfall shows how risky the private-credit boom has become.

In reality, Chanos says: “Institutions [are] putting money into this magical machine that gives you equity rates of return for senior debt exposure… that should be the first red flag.”

First Brands is a perfect case study. The company didn’t just take out regular loans. Instead, it set up special purpose entities (SPEs) — separate legal shells that borrowed money using the company’s invoices and inventory as collateral.

On paper, these SPEs were supposed to keep things neat and separate. In practice, however, they added layers of complexity that made it nearly impossible for outsiders to see the full picture.

Here’s where things get messy: First Brands CEO Patrick James also controlled many of the SPEs through a chain of limited liability companies. That kind of overlapping ownership, Chanos says, is another “huge red flag,” blurring lines and raising risks for lenders.

Chanos compares First Brands accounting practices to the dirty tricks Enron pulled: opaque structures, hidden liabilities and ownership overlaps that concealed the real financial health of the company.

“The opaqueness is part of the process,” he concludes. “That’s a feature not a bug.”

Meanwhile, a U.S. bankruptcy judge approved First Brands’ access to $500 million in the first phase of a $1.1 billion debtor-in-possession (DIP) rescue loan, granting the company an emergency lifeline as it digs into this financial tire fire.

Stay tuned…

America’s Energy Shock

Kevin Stanley never signed up to power the AI revolution. The 57-year-old — blind and living on disability payments in Baltimore — now pays nearly 80% more for electricity than he did three years ago. “They’re going up and up,” he tells Bloomberg. “You wonder, ‘What is your breaking point?’”

He’s not alone. Bloomberg’s analysis of wholesale electricity data shows that in regions near heavy data-center activity, monthly power prices have surged as much as 267% over the past five years.

That pressure is now sparking political backlash. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro recently warned his state could pull out of the PJM Interconnection — the grid operator serving 13 states and Washington, D.C. — unless it finds a way to contain consumer costs. New Jersey and Maryland are weighing similar options, underscoring the depth of public frustration.

PJM has already approved nearly $6 billion in new transmission projects, much of it driven by data-center growth. Its official watchdog warns the grid’s capacity market will remain “at its maximum price for the foreseeable future.” Unless data centers generate their own power, they argue, ordinary households and businesses will be left holding the bag.

And the impact is spreading. Even if you live far from “Data Center Alley” in northern Virginia, the explosion of AI-driven server farms is rippling through the national grid and straight into your monthly bill. Plus, U.S. demand from these facilities is expected to nearly double to 9% of total consumption by 2035 — the sharpest increase since air conditioning took off in the 1960s.

The bottom line: America’s AI boom isn’t just transforming technology. It’s rewriting your power bill.

Stupid Branding Tricks

For the first time in 133 years, coffee brand Maxwell House is ditching its famous “House.”

With about one-third of Americans now renting instead of buying homes, the company says it wants to reflect the reality of today’s consumer.

The coffee blend itself isn’t changing. The taste, aroma and ingredients will remain the same. But the name is downsizing…

Source: Kraft Heinz

Just yesterday, we talked about how coffee prices have surged, making your daily cup(s) one of the clearest symbols of inflation’s pinch.

Now, for $39.99, fans can purchase four 27.5-ounce canisters of Maxwell Apartment coffee on Amazon — supposedly enough coffee to last a full year — along with a mock 12-month “lease” to sign.

The rebrand? Temporary. But the cringe is permanent.

Take care, reader! Enjoy the weekend.

Best regards,

Emily Clancy
Associate editor, Paradigm Pressroom's 5 Bullets