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Ethereum holders are definitely being tested by some tough times, with recent price action failing to create a bullish perspective for the digital asset. One of the major disappointments has been the performance of spot Ethereum exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which were launched in the U.S. with great fanfare. These ETFs were seen by numerous market participants as the key that could unlock significant upward movement for Ethereum. Since their introduction, they have not delivered the expected results, leaving investors frustrated. Matt Hougan, Chief Investment Officer of Bitwise, a popular crypto index fund manager, continues to maintain a positive ETH outlook. According to him, Ethereum is still at the forefront of blockchain applications that are seeing breakthrough success. This Is Not The End For Ethereum The lack of positive momentum in the Ethereum market has been enough to shake the confidence of seasoned investors. The combination of uncertain macroeconomic factors, rising competition from Solana and other blockchains, and the unmet expectations surrounding the Ethereum ETFs has contributed to the pessimistic outlook for the digital asset.  Related Reading: Crypto Analyst Says Bitcoin All-Time High Only A Month Away After Breaking $60,000 Among the optimists is Matt Hougan, who shared his views in a recent memo. Hougan has maintained a bullish outlook on Ethereum, standing firm in his belief that the current challenges are only temporary and that the asset still has the potential to rebound. Hougan argues that although Ethereum has fallen behind Bitcoin and Solana’s year-to-date growth of 38% and 31%, respectively, the cryptocurrency’s long-term prospects remain strong. In his memo, Hougan highlighted ETH’s continued dominance as the leading blockchain for decentralized applications (dApps), stating that it retains the lion’s share of activity among developers building on blockchain technology. He went as far as to liken Ethereum to the “Microsoft of blockchains.”  To support his claim, Hougan pointed to notable examples of Ethereum’s adoption by major companies. One such example is BlackRock’s tokenized money market fund, which launched in March 2024 and now has more than $500 million in assets under management. Another example is Nike’s Web3 gear platform called .Swoosh.  Ethereum has the most active developers and users. As such, Hougan believes the blockchain will be first on the radar of the next large traditional company wanting to do a blockchain product. Related Reading: October To Remember: Descending Broadening Wedge Says Bitcoin Is Going To $90,000 What’s Next For ETH? According to Hougan, Ethereum is a contrarian bet for the rest of the year. What this basically means is that he expects Ethereum to go against the ongoing market sentiment and surprise many investors with a bullish run by the end of the year.  At the time of writing, ETH is trading at $2,440 and is up by 5.2% in the past 24 hours. This recent uptick brings Ethereum close to testing a key resistance level at $2,450 once again. Featured image created with Dall.E, chart from Tradingview.com