Bitcoin ETFs Post Fifth Straight Week of Net Outflows as Investors Pull $3.8B
How Large Are the Recent Bitcoin ETF Outflows?
US spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds have now recorded five consecutive weeks of net outflows, with roughly $3.8 billion withdrawn over that stretch. According to data from SoSoValue, the most recent week alone saw $315.9 million in net redemptions.
The heaviest weekly pullback during the current run came in the week ending Jan. 30, when investors removed about $1.49 billion from spot Bitcoin products. While some trading sessions have still posted inflows, they have not been enough to offset larger redemption days.
On Friday, for example, the funds saw about $88 million in net inflows. However, that positive session was outweighed by withdrawals earlier in the week, including more than $410 million on Feb. 12, alongside additional negative days between Feb. 17 and Feb. 19.
Despite the recent weakness, cumulative net inflows since launch remain near $54.01 billion. Total net assets stood around $85.31 billion as of Friday, equivalent to roughly 6.3% of Bitcoin’s total market capitalization.
Investor Takeaway
Is Institutional De-Risking Behind the Withdrawals?
Market participants attribute much of the recent selling to portfolio adjustments rather than a collapse in long-term conviction. Vincent Liu, chief investment officer at Kronos Research, said the pattern reflects institutional de-risking as geopolitical tensions and macro uncertainty rise.
He added that flows may remain unstable in the near term. Escalating trade disputes and tariff developments have reinforced a broader risk-off tone across markets, leaving digital assets sensitive to economic headlines.
“Market inflows will be dependent on macro events like incoming Thursday’s initial jobless claims, as weaker data could revive expectations for future rate cuts and help support sentiment currently at 14 extreme fear on the crypto fear and greed index,” Liu said.
The reference to macro data underscores how tightly ETF flows are now linked to broader rate expectations. When investors anticipate tighter policy or prolonged uncertainty, higher-volatility assets such as Bitcoin tend to face allocation cuts first.
Are Ether ETFs Seeing the Same Pattern?
The pressure is not limited to Bitcoin-linked products. Spot Ether ETFs have also logged five straight weeks of net outflows, according to SoSoValue data, as investors trimmed exposure to the second-largest cryptocurrency.
During the latest week, Ether ETFs recorded about $123.4 million in net outflows. As with Bitcoin funds, intermittent inflow days failed to reverse the broader trend. The products attracted roughly $48.6 million on Feb. 17 and $10.3 million on Feb. 13, but heavier selling earlier in the week pushed totals into negative territory.
The parallel drawdowns suggest that the retrenchment is not token-specific but reflects broader portfolio rebalancing across digital asset exposure.
Investor Takeaway
What Could Reverse the Trend?
For now, the data shows sustained withdrawals rather than capitulation. With cumulative inflows since launch still above $54 billion, the longer-term adoption story remains intact. The near-term direction, however, appears tied to macro catalysts such as US labor data and rate-cut expectations.
If economic data weakens and strengthens the case for future monetary easing, digital assets could see renewed allocation flows. Until then, ETF movements suggest that large investors are keeping risk exposure contained.
