Recently, many people in the square are discussing whether ETH's recent sideways movement is a sign of bottoming out. Honestly, 90% of retail investors' problems stem from this—mistaking a retracement for a bottom accumulation, eyes fixed on those few green candles, thinking the main force is defending the price. Let me pour some cold water to wake you up.

**Why this really isn't the bottom**

First, look at the trading volume. Bottoming requires massive volume to support it—either a panic sell-off that clears out all the positions (leaving long lower shadows), or sustained volume from the main force building a position. Now? Volume is shrinking and sideways. What does this indicate? The bulls haven't really gained momentum; it's just that the bears are exhausted and taking a break. In a downtrend, shrinking volume during sideways movement usually means "sideways for too long, it will fall," which is a very classic signal.

Next, look at the structure. From the 4-hour chart, the drop from 3300 was the main downward wave. Now it’s holding at 3080, just because it hit a dense accumulation zone of previous positions, providing some inertial support. To confirm a true bottom, you need to see structures like a "double bottom," or a firm break above the key resistance at 3150. If it can't even hold above 3100, how can we talk about bottoming?

**What truly constitutes a bottom**

A real bottom is either forged through grinding or smashed out. Either use time to exchange for space, completely wearing down retail traders’ psychology; or suddenly spike and blow out the bulls’ leverage, cheaply grabbing the bloodied chips. Currently? It’s stuck in the middle, neither up nor down, especially annoying. The main force is likely to kick it down again, possibly testing the liquidity depth in the 3020 to 3050 region.

So don’t rush to catch the bottom; wait until you see clearer signals.