๐Ÿ”ฌ NEW TOOL: ETH Valuation Model โ€” Is Ethereum Over or Undervalued Right Now?
I built an interactive dashboard that answers one of the most important questions in crypto: What is ETH actually worth based on network fundamentals?
๐Ÿ”— Access it here: defiuniversity.xyz/eth-valuation
๐Ÿ“š The Theory: Why Network Size = Value
Before we dive into the tool, let's understand the core concept.
Metcalfe's Law states that a network's value grows proportionally to the square of its users. Think about it:
  • 10 users โ†’ 45 possible connections
  • 100 users โ†’ 4,950 connections
  • 1,000 users โ†’ 499,500 connections
This is why Facebook, Bitcoin, and Ethereum become exponentially more valuable as adoption grows โ€” each new user adds value for ALL existing users. ๐ŸŒ
The Formula: Value = A ร— nยฒ where n = active users
For Ethereum, we measure users by Daily Active Addresses (DAA) โ€” unique wallets transacting each day.
๐ŸŽฏ What This Tool Shows You
The dashboard calculates ETH's "fair value" using two models:
๐Ÿ“ˆ 1. Metcalfe Model (Upper Bound) โ€” Cyan Line
Assumes ALL network connections have value. Represents the bullish case / cycle tops. Price tends to touch this during peak euphoria.
๐Ÿ“‰ 2. Odlyzko Model (Lower Bound) โ€” Green Line
More conservative formula: Value = B ร— n ร— log(n). Accounts for human attention limits. Represents the floor / bear market bottoms.
โš–๏ธ 3. Fair Value (Geometric Mean) โ€” Purple Dashed Line
The mathematical midpoint between both models. Where price "should" hover over full market cycles. Think of this as the equilibrium.
๐ŸŽš๏ธ 4. Blended Value (Your Custom Target) โ€” Yellow Dashed Line
You control this with the Blend Weight slider:
  • 0% = Pure Odlyzko (bearish stance) ๐Ÿป
  • 100% = Pure Metcalfe (bullish stance) ๐Ÿ‚
  • 50% = Equal weight (neutral) ๐Ÿ˜
๐Ÿ“Š Key Metrics Explained
๐Ÿ’ฐ ETH PriceCurrent market price (live from CoinGecko)
๐Ÿš€ Metcalfe ValueModel-derived "ceiling" price based on nยฒ
๐Ÿ›ก๏ธ Odlyzko FloorModel-derived "floor" price based on nร—log(n)
โš–๏ธ Fair ValueGeometric mean of both models โ€” the neutral target
๐ŸŽฏ Blended ValueYour custom weighted valuation based on the slider
๐Ÿ“‰ Price vs ModelPercentage deviation from Metcalfe value (negative = undervalued)
๐Ÿ”ข NVM RatioNetwork Value to Metcalfe โ€” think of it like a P/E ratio for crypto networks
๐Ÿ“ Z-ScoreHow many standard deviations current valuation is from historical normal
๐Ÿšฆ The Buy/Sell Signal System
The Z-Score is your primary trading signal:
๐ŸŸข EXTREME BUY (Z-Score below -2.0)
Generational accumulation zone. Historically rare. ๐Ÿ’Ž
๐ŸŸข BUY SIGNAL (Z-Score below -1.0)
Network is undervalued relative to user growth. โœ…
๐ŸŸก NEUTRAL (Z-Score between -1.0 and +2.0)
Price is within fair value range. โธ๏ธ
๐Ÿ”ด SELL SIGNAL (Z-Score above +2.0)
Price has outpaced fundamentals significantly. โš ๏ธ
๐Ÿ”ด EXTREME SELL (Z-Score above +3.0)
Cycle top territory. Major warning sign. ๐Ÿšจ
๐Ÿ“ˆ Historical accuracy:
  • Buy signals (Z < -1): ~75% accuracy
  • Sell signals (Z > +2): ~82% accuracy
๐ŸŽฎ How to Use the Controls
๐Ÿ”ง Network Metrics (Left Panel)
โ›“๏ธ L1 DAAEthereum mainnet daily users (~400K typical)
๐Ÿ”— L2 DAACombined Arbitrum/Optimism/Base users (~2.5M typical)
โš–๏ธ L2 WeightHow much to value L2 users (1.0 = equal to L1)
๐Ÿ’ก Pro Tip: Increase L2 DAA to model future L2 adoption growth
โš™๏ธ Model Coefficients
๐Ÿ“Š Coeff AMetcalfe scaling (higher = higher ceiling)
๐Ÿ“Š Coeff BOdlyzko scaling (higher = higher floor)
๐ŸŽš๏ธ Blend WeightYour personal bull/bear bias
๐Ÿ”ฎ Scenario Analysis
Switch between Bull (+50% DAA), Base (+20%), and Bear (-10%) to see target prices under different growth assumptions.
๐Ÿง  Practical Trading Application
Example 1: Current Price is Below Fair Value ๐Ÿ“‰
Purple line (Fair Value) is above white line (Current Price). Z-Score is negative.
โ†’ Interpretation: Accumulate โ€” you're buying at a discount to fundamentals. โœ…
Example 2: Price Touches Metcalfe Ceiling ๐Ÿš€
Current price near or above cyan line. Z-Score above +2.
โ†’ Interpretation: Consider taking profits โ€” price exceeds network value. ๐Ÿ’ฐ
Example 3: Confidence Band Trading ๐Ÿ“Š
The gray shaded area shows where price spends ~70% of the time.
โ†’ Below the band = strong buy ๐ŸŸขโ†’ Above the band = strong sell ๐Ÿ”ด
โ“ FAQ
Q: Where does the DAA data come from?A: The tool uses research estimates. For production-grade data, you'd integrate Dune Analytics or Glassnode. ๐Ÿ“Š
Q: Why is the Odlyzko floor so low?A: The coefficients are calibrated for the current model. You can adjust Coeff B higher to raise the floor if you believe the base utility value is higher. ๐Ÿ”ง
Q: How often does price data update?A: Every 60 seconds from CoinGecko. โฑ๏ธ
Q: Can I use this for other assets?A: The model specifically applies to network-effect assets. Works for ETH, BTC, SOL โ€” not for yield-bearing or governance tokens. โ›“๏ธ
๐ŸŽฏ TL;DR โ€” Your Cheat Sheet
โœ… Z-Score below -1 = Strong buy signal
โŒ Z-Score above +2 = Strong sell signal
๐Ÿ“‰ Price below purple line = Undervalued
๐ŸŽš๏ธ Use Blend Weight to set your personal target
๐Ÿ“Š Confidence band = Where price "should" trade
Bookmark it. Check it weekly. Let the fundamentals guide your conviction. ๐Ÿ’ช
๐Ÿ”— Try it now โ†’ defiuniversity.xyz/eth-valuation
๐Ÿ’ฌ Questions? Drop them in the comments below and I'll answer them.
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David Zimmerman
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๐Ÿ”ฌ NEW TOOL: ETH Valuation Model โ€” Is Ethereum Over or Undervalued Right Now?
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