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BlackRock’s spot bitcoin ETF recorded $231.6 million in net inflows on Friday, reversing two days of withdrawals totaling $548.7 million as bitcoin stabilized above $69,000.
The turnaround helped push total inflows across nine U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs to roughly $330.7 million, ending a three-day outflow streak that saw $1.25 billion exit the products.
Market participants closely track BlackRock Bitcoin ETF flows as a real-time indicator of institutional and high-net-worth investor sentiment.
While Bitcoin exchange-traded products are designed for long-term exposure, sudden shifts in flows often reflect changing risk appetite during periods of stress.
So far in 2026, the BlackRock Bitcoin ETF has posted just 11 trading days of net inflows, underscoring how uneven demand has been amid heightened volatility.
Bitcoin itself has fallen more than 24% over the past 30 days, trading near $69,820 at the time of publication, according to CoinMarketCap.
Despite the pullback, Friday’s inflows suggest some investors viewed the sell-off as overextended.
Historically, the BlackRock Bitcoin ETF has acted as a magnet for capital during periods of price stabilization following sharp corrections.
Analysts caution, however, that short-term inflows do not necessarily signal a trend reversal, particularly while macroeconomic uncertainty continues to weigh on risk assets globally.
The turbulence earlier in the week drove unprecedented activity in the BlackRock Bitcoin ETF.
On Thursday, IBIT recorded its highest-ever single-day trading volume as panic selling and repositioning intensified.
“IBIT crushed its daily volume record with about $10 billion traded,” — Eric Balchunas, Senior ETF Analyst, Bloomberg Intelligence, said in a post on X.
Balchunas noted that the ETF fell 13% on the day, marking its second-worst daily price decline since launching in January 2024. Its largest single-day drop remains the 15% fall recorded on May 8, 2024.
The extreme price movement highlighted how closely the BlackRock Bitcoin ETF mirrors spot Bitcoin volatility, particularly during rapid market drawdowns.
While the product provides regulated access to Bitcoin exposure, it does not insulate holders from sharp price swings.
Following Thursday’s sell-off, IBIT rebounded strongly. The BlackRock Bitcoin ETF gained 9.92% on Friday, closing at $39.68, according to Google Finance data, partially retracing earlier losses.
Even with the recent outflows, analysts stress that the broader picture for the BlackRock Bitcoin ETF remains historically strong.
Since the launch of U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs in January 2024, cumulative inflows remain far above levels seen in prior crypto investment vehicles.
ETF analyst James Seyffart emphasized that while holders are experiencing significant paper losses, the scale of recent withdrawals remains modest compared to earlier inflow surges.
“These are the biggest losses for spot Bitcoin ETF holders since launch, but outflows are still relatively small compared to total inflows,” — James Seyffart, ETF Analyst, Bloomberg Intelligence, said in commentary shared on X.
Seyffart noted that at Bitcoin prices below $73,000, investors are facing unrealized losses of roughly 42% on average.
Even so, net inflows across U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs peaked near $62.11 billion before the October downturn and have since declined to approximately $55 billion.
That context matters for long-term investors assessing whether recent weakness reflects structural demand erosion or a temporary reset driven by macro and sentiment shocks.
For crypto investors, the BlackRock Bitcoin ETF remains one of the most closely watched barometers of institutional demand.
Friday’s inflows suggest that while fear dominated earlier in the week, capital has not exited the market en masse.
Instead, the data points to a market still engaged in price discovery, with investors selectively re-entering positions as Bitcoin stabilizes above key psychological levels.
Whether that cautious optimism holds will likely depend on broader market conditions and Bitcoin’s ability to defend recent support zones.
As volatility persists, flows into the BlackRock Bitcoin ETF will continue to offer critical insight into how professional investors are positioning for the next phase of the crypto cycle.
