Ethereum Surges Ahead of Shanghai Upgrade and Token Accessibility Improvement.

Ethereum's native token, Ether (ETH), surged to $1,941, its highest level since last August, and is expected to meet resistance near $2,000 ahead of the upcoming Shanghai hard fork, which will mark the completion of Ethereum's full transition to a proof-of-stake network. Meanwhile, Bitcoin remained range-bound between $27,000 and $28,500. Traders' preference for upside exposure was reflected in ETH's 25-delta calls becoming more expensive than its 25-delta puts. Altcoins, including Stargate Finance's STG token, gained while encrypted messaging protocol Mask Network's MASK token sank.