As Bitcoin (BTC) continues to trade in the red, United States spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) linked to the crypto have posted record net outflows.
Significantly, BlackRock’s (NYSE: BLK) iShares Bitcoin Trust recorded its first-ever single-day outflow on May 1, as Bitcoin lost support around the $60,000 mark, dropping to as low as $56,000.
US Bitcoin ETFs saw a total of $563.7 million exiting the market, according to data from Farside shared on May 2. Notably, BlackRock, the largest investment firm globally, saw its streak of positive inflows cut short and recorded its first day of outflows totaling $36.9 million.
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Elsewhere, Grayscale Bitcoin Trust saw the largest outflow at $167.4 million, while Fidelity and Ark ETFs experienced withdrawals of $191.1 million and $98.1 million, respectively.
Institutional interest in Bitcoin ETF
Despite the BlackRock ETF recording losses, the interest of institutional investors in the product remains strong. A notable example is BNP Paribas, the second-largest bank in Europe, which recently invested in the BlackRock Bitcoin ETF.
At the same time, as reported by Finbold, BNY Mellon, the largest custodian bank globally, also invested in ETFs from BlackRock and Grayscale.
While ETF outflows are contributing to Bitcoin prices’ decline, some market participants maintain a positive outlook. For instance, Bloomberg ETF analyst James Seyffart reassured that Bitcoin ETFs are still functioning well.
“Should add — these ETFs are operating smoothly across the board. Inflows and outflows are part of the norm in the life of an ETF,” he said.
Bitcoin price remains under pressure
As the ETFs continue to record outflows, the market remains uncertain, with attention focused on the Federal Reserve monetary policy. Indeed, as things stand, the momentum from ETFs that saw Bitcoin rally to a new record above $73,000 has faded while investors await the gains from the halving event to play out.
In the meantime, there is speculation that Bitcoin could drop to almost the $50,000 mark. By press time, Bitcoin was trading at $58,191, having gained almost 1% in the last 24 hours. On the weekly timeframe, BTC is down about 9%.
