Bitcoin ETFs See $243 Million Outflow as Crypto Market Surge Slows Down

Bitcoin ETF Outflows Surge as Price Rally Stalls

Bitcoin’s rapid ascent in early 2026 has lost momentum, leading to a wave of liquidations and a net withdrawal of $243 million from U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs on Tuesday.

According to SoSoValue, ETF activity was mixed. BlackRock’s IBIT attracted $228 million in new investments, but this was outweighed by significant withdrawals from other major funds. Fidelity’s FBTC saw the largest outflow at $312 million, followed by Grayscale’s GBTC with $83 million in redemptions. Smaller outflows were also recorded by VanEck and Ark Invest/21Shares.

This shift comes as Bitcoin retreated from a weekly peak above $94,000, falling 1.7% to just over $92,000, based on CoinGecko’s data. Despite this pullback, users on the prediction platform remain optimistic, assigning a 76% probability that Bitcoin’s next major move will be toward $100,000 rather than dropping to $69,000.

Analysts See Temporary Pause, Not Lasting Weakness

Market experts interpret the recent ETF outflows as a short-term adjustment rather than a sign of fading confidence. Sergey Kravtsov, Co-founder and CEO of Papaya Finance, explained to Decrypt that these moves reflect “tactical repositioning in response to recent price swings,” and are not indicative of a fundamental shift.

Other analysts share this view. Illia Otychenko, Lead Analyst at CEX.IO, told Decrypt that the outflows appear to be a “normalization” after the strong inflows seen at the start of the year. He also observed that the selling pressure from tax-loss harvesting at the end of 2025 has diminished. However, as Bitcoin consolidates, ETF flows may remain volatile in the near term rather than following a clear direction.

Selective Strength in Other Crypto Markets

While Bitcoin ETFs saw outflows, other areas of the crypto market demonstrated resilience. Spot Ethereum and Solana ETFs experienced inflows of $114.74 million and $19.12 million, respectively, highlighting the uneven nature of the recent pullback.

Meanwhile, inflows into Digital Asset Trusts (DATs) have slowed. After reaching $2.159 billion by the end of December, new investments dropped to $296 million and $559 million over the past two weeks, according to DeFiLlama.

Kravtsov described this slowdown as a sign of “caution rather than withdrawal.” Otychenko added that with many DATs trading at or below their net asset value, investor confidence remains fragile, prompting many to keep more cash on hand as a safeguard.

Outlook: Consolidation Before the Next Move?

With uncertainties like the MSCI decision now settled and the broader economic environment stable amid expectations of interest rate cuts, analysts believe the crypto market is currently consolidating within a range.

“Crypto’s fundamentals remain robust in the short run,” Kravtsov noted, emphasizing that the industry’s infrastructure is now far more developed than in previous cycles. He characterized the current period as a consolidation phase ahead of future growth, rather than the start of a downturn.

Technical Perspective and What’s Next

Otychenko provided further insight, pointing out that Bitcoin is currently trading between key on-chain levels: the true mean price and the cost basis for short-term holders. He suggested that a more decisive market move will likely require renewed liquidity and increased investor participation.