The Ethereum network was built to democratize a finance platform where anyone, anywhere, could deploy code and create value. With no centralized oversight, ETH has become a stage where builders and grifters coexist, each leveraging the same tools of decentralization to vastly different ends.
A subsequent wave of Initial Coin Offering (ICO) and NFTs is believed to have extracted more ETH from the hands of long-term retail holders. This continuous speculative excess transferred wealth, creating selling pressure that ultimately slowed down ETH’s long-term appreciation.