Big Money Tiptoes Back Into Ethereum: Defiance’s Leveraged ETHI ETF Logs Double-Digit Inflow vs. AUM

Ethereum ETF Sees Fresh Inflows as Traders Warm Back Up to a Beaten-Down Coin

The Defiance Leveraged Long Income Ethereum ETF, ETHI, attracted a notable $801,075 in net inflows on January 09, 2026, a meaningful vote of confidence for the leveraged product after a choppy quarter for its underlying asset. The latest flow represents roughly 13.96% of the fund’s $5.74 million in assets under management (AUM), a sizeable single-day shift that underscores renewed speculative interest in Ethereum-linked strategies.

Such a large inflow relative to AUM suggests investors are leaning back into higher-risk, higher-beta crypto exposure rather than retreating to cash or more diversified digital-asset funds. For a leveraged income-focused ETF like ETHI, this may reflect both yield-seeking behavior and a tactical bet that Ethereum’s recent weakness could be nearing a turning point.

The related asset, ETH-USD, is currently trading around $3,296.49. Over the past three months, the token has slipped roughly 15%, highlighting a period of sustained pressure as investors rotated into other risk assets and digested shifting macro expectations. Despite that drawdown, near-term momentum indicators are turning more constructive: the one-day technical signal screens as a modest positive, with analysts tagging it as a Buy.

For ETHI, the confluence of discounted spot prices, improving short-term technicals, and sharp inflows points to investors selectively adding leverage in anticipation of a rebound rather than capitulating after the recent slide. Whether that proves prescient or premature will depend on Ethereum’s ability to sustain any upswing and on broader risk sentiment across digital assets in the weeks ahead.

For a more detailed analysis and real-time sentiment trends, check the live cryptocurrency prices here.