Ethereum Staking Queue Shifts as MetaMask Exits Drain
Ethereum (ETH)
Editor:
Eugene Serbin
cryptocurrency.com.tr reports that new Ethereum stakers are now facing a 25-day wait before their ETH begins generating returns. As of October 5, 1.44 million ETH remained in the entry queue. Meanwhile, the exit queue decreased to 767,349 ETH from a peak of 850,736 ETH on October 2.
This decline occurred as MetaMask unwound validators it operated through Lido. MetaMask Staking began removing validators following a security incident disclosure on September 30. Approximately 17,000 validators holding ~523,000 ETH entered the exit line.
Exits require about 13 days and eight hours to clear. On September 29, the exit queue held close to 166,000 ETH before surging past 850,000 ETH. Ethereum limits stake flow via churn, currently set at 256 ETH per epoch.
This allows roughly 57,600 ETH to clear daily in each direction. Total staked ETH stands at ~43.7 million, representing ~36% of supply. There are currently 866,944 active validators.
How the market reacted
Whalio's own Binance spot order flow for ETH, measured when this story was written up on 6 October 2026. Not the outlet's figures.
Whalio data shows ETH trading at $2,709.98 with a 24-hour buy ratio of 55.7%, indicating dominant buying pressure over the full day. Shorter timeframes reveal fading momentum, with the 1-hour buy ratio dropping to 36.9% and the 4-hour ratio at 45.3%. Volume deltas reflect this shift, showing negative flows of -$2,031,200 in the last hour and -$3,036,454 over four hours. However, the 24-hour volume delta remains positive at +$83,127,530. The buy ratio measures the proportion of trades executed by buyers versus sellers. A ratio above 50% suggests buyers are more aggressive, while negative volume delta indicates net selling pressure in that specific window.
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.
The current 24-hour buy ratio of 55.7% is 5.8 percentage points higher than the 7-day average of 49.8%. This suggests today is an unusually active day for buyers compared to the recent weekly norm. Volume is also elevated, trading at 1.09 times the weekly average. Over the preceding week, the coin saw net buying on only 3 of 7 days. The 8-day price change was +0.8%, with a total volume delta of -$78,807,407. This indicates that while today shows stronger buying intensity, the broader weekly trend remains mixed with net outflows.