Bitcoin ETFs See $130 Million in Net Inflows - Tekedia

U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs shed $635.6 million on Thursday, according to Decrypt's ETF tracker, erasing nearly 60% of the roughly $1.07 billion the funds had taken in over the previous three sessions and flipping October back to a net loss of about $176 million. It was their biggest single-day outflow of the month, topping the $484.9 million exit on Oct. 7. Ethereum ETFs lost $110.6 million, bringing their October outflows to about $1.18 billion, while Solana ETFs shed $8.9 million. Despite the heavy outflows, Bitcoin traded near $81,460 on Friday, flat over 24 hours and down 0.4% on the week, as Decrypt reported on 2026-08-20.

Background

Spot crypto ETFs are exchange-traded funds that hold the underlying asset, such as Bitcoin or Ethereum, and trade on stock exchanges like ordinary shares, letting investors gain exposure through a regular brokerage account without buying or storing crypto themselves. Bitcoin funds debuted in January 2024 and have since drawn $57.8 billion in net inflows, while Ethereum funds, which followed that July, have taken in $12.7 billion; Solana funds arrived late last year. Because issuers report flows daily and much of the money comes from institutions and financial advisers, the figures have become one of the most closely watched gauges of investor sentiment, according to Decrypt. The Thursday selling coincided with a rough day across markets: oil climbed above $111 a barrel as AI stocks slid, dragging the S&P 500 and global markets lower. The Federal Reserve next meets Oct. 27-28, with traders anticipating a hold, meaning no increase to interest rates, which generally bodes well for risk assets like crypto, Decrypt reported.

What happened

According to Decrypt's ETF tracker, U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs shed $635.6 million on Thursday, wiping out nearly 60% of the roughly $1.07 billion the funds took in over the previous three sessions. It was their biggest single-day outflow of the month, topping the $484.9 million exit on Oct. 7 that was, at the time, the worst since June. The reversal pushed October back into negative territory: after climbing to roughly $460 million in net inflows for the month on Wednesday, the funds are now down about $176 million, Decrypt reported. Cumulative net inflows since launch slipped to $57.8 billion, with total net assets at $100.2 billion. Ethereum ETFs followed suit, losing $110.6 million a day after snapping a five-day outflow streak, bringing their October losses to roughly $1.18 billion. Solana ETFs shed $8.9 million, bringing them to about $68 million in outflows this month, with just two days of inflows in October. Decrypt also reported that prices barely budged despite the outflows: Bitcoin traded near $81,460 on Friday, flat over 24 hours and down 0.4% on the week; Ethereum dipped 0.2% to about $2,400; and Solana slipped 0.3% to roughly $104. The 30-day declines are steeper: Bitcoin down 4.8%, Ethereum 11.4%, and Solana 10.4%. Total crypto market cap held at about $2.85 trillion, while trading volume fell 20% to $67.1 billion.

Market impact

The flow figures from Decrypt's tracker show a sharp one-day reversal: Bitcoin ETFs lost $635.6 million on Thursday, the biggest single-day outflow of the month, after taking in roughly $1.07 billion over the prior three sessions. October swung from about $460 million in net inflows on Wednesday to a net loss of about $176 million. Cumulative net inflows since launch slipped to $57.8 billion, with total net assets at $100.2 billion. Ethereum ETFs lost $110.6 million, bringing October outflows to roughly $1.18 billion, while Solana ETFs shed $8.9 million and have seen about $68 million in outflows this month, with just two days of inflows in October. Prices held steady: Bitcoin near $81,460, flat over 24 hours and down 0.4% on the week; Ethereum about $2,400, down 0.2%; Solana roughly $104, down 0.3%. The 30-day declines are steeper: Bitcoin 4.8%, Ethereum 11.4%, Solana 10.4%. Total crypto market cap held at about $2.85 trillion, while trading volume fell 20% to $67.1 billion. On Myriad, a prediction market developed by Decrypt's parent company Dastan, traders cut the odds of Bitcoin topping $87,500 this month to 17% from 20% a day earlier, gave 9% odds of reaching $90,000, and put 32% odds on a slide to $77,500.

Why it matters

Decrypt reported that because issuers report flows daily and much of the money comes from institutions and financial advisers, ETF flow figures have become one of the most closely watched gauges of investor sentiment. The Thursday outflow erased nearly 60% of a three-day, $1.07 billion inflow streak and flipped October back to a net loss of about $176 million, showing how quickly sentiment can reverse. Ethereum ETFs' October outflows of about $1.18 billion and Solana ETFs' roughly $68 million in outflows this month, with just two days of inflows in October, suggest the weakness was not confined to Bitcoin. Yet prices barely budged, with Bitcoin near $81,460, which Decrypt described as a wait-and-see mode that analysts said may not be a bad thing for the market. The selling coincided with a rough day across markets, with oil above $111 a barrel as AI stocks slid, dragging the S&P 500 and global markets lower. The Federal Reserve next meets Oct. 27-28, with traders anticipating a hold, which generally bodes well for risk assets like crypto, according to Decrypt.