Bitcoin hits its lowest price in nine months, while its ETFs suffer outflows of $817 million. The price of Bitcoin reached $81,315, while approximately $1.8 billion in leveraged liquidations occurred in the crypto market.
Bitcoin ETFs saw net outflows of approximately $817 million, while Ether ETFs, in contrast, experienced outflows of $155.6 million. Combined, this resulted in nearly $1 billion in withdrawals in a single session, one of the largest movements of the month.
This dynamic immediately impacted the spot market, as issuers had to sell assets to cover redemptions. This selling pressure led to forced liquidations of around $1.8 billion, primarily affecting leveraged long positions and amplifying the price decline.
The outflows are not explained by changes between specific products, but rather by a general reduction in risk by institutional investors. The fact that Bitcoin and Ether registered withdrawals simultaneously reinforces the idea of ​​a broad adjustment of exposure, rather than a selective rotation within the crypto market.
Following the initial drop, industry data showed early trading on Friday around $82,687. On a weekly basis, Bitcoin ETFs accumulated $978 million in outflows, pushing January’s flows into negative territory and demonstrating how quickly liquidity can reverse in a market where ETFs and spot trading are closely intertwined.
Bitcoin ETF outflows and the stablecoin’s drop
Bitcoin broke through the $85,000 level, considered by many institutional investors to be the 100-week simple moving average, triggering further selling and accelerating forced outflows.
BlackRock’s IBIT led the way with $317.8 million, followed by Fidelity’s FBTC with $168.05 million and Grayscale’s GBTC with $119.44 million. Significant withdrawals were also recorded in smaller providers, confirming that the impact was widespread across the entire ETF universe.
From a macroeconomic perspective, the market attributed the adjustment to a combination of lower global liquidity and deleveraging. Thomas Perfumo, global economist at Kraken, noted that tighter liquidity was the main factor putting pressure on crypto assets.
For investors and product teams, the event leaves two clear messages: outflows from ETFs can quickly turn into spot market sell-offs, and Bitcoin’s greater integration with traditional markets implies increasing sensitivity to macroeconomic and liquidity events, with more frequent episodes of volatility.
