Ethereum gained approximately 66.55% during the third quarter, marking its strongest performance for that period since 2016 and its third-best ever. The period is identified inconsistently: the new update labels it Q3 2026, while the existing record identifies it as Q3 2025. The rally was supported by more than $10 billion in spot Ethereum ETF inflows, over $15 billion in corporate treasury purchases and growth in Ethereum-related decentralized finance. Total value locked across Ethereum-related chains, including Layer-2 networks, reached approximately $88 billion. ETH traded above $4,000 and approached $5,000 before a 5.73% September pullback. The move was stronger than Ethereum's 59.5% gain during Q3 2020 and Bitcoin's roughly 6%-10% return over the same period, while showing more institutional characteristics than earlier rallies driven by ICOs, DeFi yield farming and NFT speculation.