What price will Ethereum hit August 17-23?

The core issue is simple: ETH was trading around $1,870 to $1,925 during the relevant window, while the question requires a move to $2,600 within that same week. That means the asset would need to gain roughly $700 or more from prevailing levels in only a few days, which is an unusually large move for an established large-cap asset without an exceptional catalyst. The cited near-term technical barriers are clustered around $1,917, $1,945, $2,000, and $2,050, so the market would have to clear several layers of resistance before even beginning to approach the threshold.

The news context is mildly supportive for ETH in a broader sense, but not enough to justify a near-term $2,600 call. ETF flows and institutional accumulation can help stabilize price and support gradual upside, and that matters for medium-term positioning. However, the commentary provided still places realistic near-term targets mostly between $1,700 and $2,300, with $2,500 to $3,000 discussed only as a more conditional later-2026 scenario requiring stronger demand and better liquidity. That is a meaningful gap from a one-week target, and it suggests the market is not pricing anything close to a quick breakout to $2,600.

Market sentiment also appears consistent with a low probability. The implied probability from current pricing is already very small at about 3.25%, and even that may be generous relative to the underlying setup because the price action is described as range-bound and only slightly bullish at best. For a Yes outcome, ETH would likely need an abrupt catalyst such as a major macro risk-on shock, a powerful short squeeze, or an unexpectedly large wave of ETF demand. Those are possible in theory, but the provided evidence does not indicate that any such catalyst was present during Aug. 17-23.