Ethereum Rises 7.46% as Fundstrat’s Tom Lee Predicts Face-Ripper Rally
Ethereum (ETH)
Editor:
Eugene Serbin
u.today reported on September 11, 2026, that Ethereum (ETH) had gained 7.46% to reach $2,619.0, marking a 6.62% weekly increase. Fundstrat co-founder Tom Lee characterized this upward momentum as the start of a massive "face-ripper rally" for short sellers. Lee’s company, Bitmine Immersion Technologies (BMNR), is the world's largest corporate holder of Ethereum.
The price surge followed the release of the August U.S. Consumer Price Index, where Core CPI rose 0.3% month over month. This data triggered a return of capital from cash to risk assets, forcing short-position liquidations. BMNR has been buying ETH weekly under Lee’s "alchemy of 5%" strategy.
By September 2026, the company accumulated 5.9 million ETH, representing 4.9% of global supply. Most of these coins are staked to generate yield. Lee’s methodical buying has effectively placed the market in a vise, benefiting from the capital return. This strategy turned the price reversal into a harsh lesson for market bears who waited out the inflation data.
How the market reacted
Whalio's own Binance spot order flow for ETH, measured when this story was written up on 11 September 2026. Not the outlet's figures.
ETH is currently trading at $2,438.27 with a 24-hour buy ratio of 49.4%, indicating a near-even split between buyers and sellers. The 1-hour and 4-hour buy ratios are slightly lower at 48.9% and 49.0% respectively, suggesting that buying pressure is fading in the short term. Volume Delta shows net selling across all timeframes, with -$764,024 in the last hour and -$10,957,474 over 24 hours. This negative delta means that sell volume exceeded buy volume during these periods. Despite the net outflow, the Cumulative Volume Delta (CVD) closed positive at +$20,814,838, indicating that earlier buying pressure outweighed recent selling. Net buying occurred for only 8 of the 24 hours, highlighting a day dominated by sellers.
The latest daily buy ratio of 46.8% sits at the 16th percentile of the last 322 days, against a median of 49.5% - weaker buying than most days.
Was that an ordinary day?
The same Binance spot measurements for ETH, averaged over the days leading up to the story.
Over the preceding week, the average buy ratio was 49.9%, compared to today’s 49.4%, showing a slight decrease in buying intent. Spot volume was 1.25 times the weekly average, indicating unusually high trading activity for this day. The coin experienced a -2.8% price change over the eight-day period, with a total Volume Delta of -$6,474,438. This volume delta contrasts with the daily figure of -$10,957,474, suggesting that recent selling has been more intense than the weekly average. While trading volume was elevated, the net flow remained negative, consistent with the broader weekly trend of net outflows.