Spot Bitcoin ETFs see $163.5M outflows on macro pressure

A sharp pullback in Bitcoin has interrupted what had been one of the strongest institutional accumulation phases in recent months, with US spot Bitcoin ETFs recording their first net outflows after a sustained inflow streak.

According to Farside data, spot Bitcoin ETFs saw $163.5 million in net outflows on Wednesday, snapping a seven-day run that had brought in roughly $1.16 billion. 

The reversal comes just days after funds logged their largest single-day intake of $250.92 million and extended a broader four-week inflow stretch totalling $2.52 billion.

Selling pressure was led by the Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund, which posted about $104 million in outflows, followed by BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust at $34 million. 

Prior to the latest outflows, cumulative flows were nearing a turning point, sitting roughly $100 million short of positive year-to-date territory, marking the end of the longest inflow streak since October 2025.

Why are Bitcoin ETFs seeing outflows?

The outflows came as Bitcoin dropped more than 8% from weekly highs above $75,000, with the asset slipping back below the $70,000 level at the time of writing. 

That level remains a key psychological support, and failure to reclaim it could weigh further on market sentiment.

That threshold has long been viewed as a key psychological support, and a sustained failure to reclaim it could weigh further on market confidence.

Institutional investors are reacting to a combination of macroeconomic pressures. 

Hotter than expected producer price data showed core PPI rising to 3.9% year over year, above estimates of 3.7%, and 0.5% month over month, exceeding expectations of 0.3%, reinforcing concerns that inflation remains persistent.

At the same time, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell cautioned that inflation remains elevated, pointing to additional pressure from rising energy prices linked to ongoing tensions in the Middle East. 

He noted that headline PCE inflation stands at 2.8% while core inflation is at 3.0%, both above the Fed’s 2% target, and signalled that the central bank will remain data-dependent as it is too early to declare victory.

The Federal Open Market Committee’s decision to hold rates steady in the 3.5% to 3.75% range further reinforced expectations of a higher for longer rate environment. 

While markets had largely anticipated a hawkish tone following recent economic data, the combination of policy signals and inflation prints appears to have pushed institutional investors into a more defensive stance.

Up until recently, institutional demand had been supported by Bitcoin’s digital gold narrative, helping sustain its recovery from multi-month lows despite geopolitical tensions and rising oil prices. 

However, the latest macro developments have begun to test that conviction as price action weakens.

Losses extend beyond Bitcoin

The negative trend extended across altcoin ETFs, with Ether leading the outflows at around $56 million, according to Farside data.

Fidelity again led the declines among Ether products, with the Fidelity Ethereum Fund (FETH) seeing $37 million in outflows, followed by the Grayscale Ethereum Trust (ETHE) at $9 million.

Solana products recorded relatively minor outflows of about $300,000, while XRP ETFs reported no inflows during the session.

At presstime, the total crypto market cap had fallen over 2% in the past 24 hours, losing the $2.5 trillion mark.