- Bitcoin ETFs in the U.S. have lost 35% of their assets under management (AUM) since October 7, exceeding Bitcoin’s own 28% price drop.
- The greater decline in ETFs’ AUM is due to sustained negative net flows from investors, not just Bitcoin’s price movement.
- Net outflows from Bitcoin ETFs have been negative for 21 of the past 35 trading days.
- ETF sponsors like BlackRock, Grayscale, and Bitwise do not initiate sell orders; these come from investors redeeming or selling shares.
- Investor actions, not the ETF companies themselves, drive fluctuations in ETF share counts and assets.
Between October 7 and November 19, the top 12 bitcoin (BTC) ETFs traded on U.S. exchanges have seen their assets under management (AUM) fall by 35%. This decline is greater than Bitcoin’s own 28% price decrease over the same period. The ETFs’ AUM peaked at $168 billion on October 7 and dropped substantially within six weeks.
Bitcoin’s price fell from $126,300 on October 7 to $91,500 on November 19, a 28% decrease. The additional 7 percentage points in ETF asset loss are due to net outflows as investors sold or redeemed shares. Data from Bitcoin ETF Fund Flows shows that net flows from BTC ETFs have been negative on 21 of the last 35 trading days.
ETF managers such as Blackrock, Grayscale, and Fidelity maintain shares in their funds to track Bitcoin’s spot price minus fees. However, the total assets can increase or decrease depending on investor buying or selling activity. A chart compiled by Protos illustrates that the decline in ETFs’ AUM has exceeded Bitcoin’s price drop.
There has been social media speculation blaming ETF sponsors like Blackrock for selling Bitcoin during this period. However, these sales reflect thousands of investor sell orders through third-party brokerages, not actions by Blackrock itself. As noted, Blackrock never placed those sell orders. Similarly, criticism aimed at Grayscale and Bitwise for causing selling pressure on Bitcoin is misplaced. ETF sponsors generally execute customer instructions rather than trade using corporate funds.
Investors remove their money from ETFs by selling shares or redeeming them, reducing overall AUM and adjusting the number of shares accordingly. These outflows have contributed significantly to the greater loss seen in Bitcoin ETFs compared to the underlying Bitcoin Price. More details on ETF fund flow data can be found at the links to Bitcoin ETF Fund Flows and Coinglass.
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