BlackRock’s bitcoin ETF sheds $528 million, the second-largest daily outflow on record
IBIT recorded its second-biggest single-day net outflow since launch on Wednesday, missing a January record by less than half a million dollars, as the Iran-driven sell-off pulled institutional money out of bitcoin.
What to know:
- BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust saw $527.84 million in net outflows on Wednesday, its second-largest single-day withdrawal since launching in January and just shy of its record.
- The 11 U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs together lost $733.43 million that day, extending a multi-session streak of outflows that has pulled more than $2 billion from the complex over two weeks as bitcoin slid below $73,000.
- A $1.29 billion dark-pool block sale in IBIT on Tuesday and May’s shift from ETF accumulation to distribution suggest institutional investors are trimming bitcoin exposure amid heightened Middle East tensions and macro uncertainty.
The outflow was part of a broader exodus. The 11 U.S.-listed spot bitcoin ETFs lost a combined $733.43 million on Wednesday, with Fidelity’s FBTC shedding $60.30 million and Grayscale’s GBTC losing $104.76 million alongside the IBIT draw. The complex has now posted outflows for several consecutive sessions, with more than $2 billion withdrawn over the past two weeks.
The selling landed on the same day bitcoin broke below $73,000. The cryptocurrency traded at $72,978 in Asian hours Thursday, down 3.4% over 24 hours, after U.S. airstrikes on an Iranian military site near the Strait of Hormuz reignited a conflict markets had started to price out. The ETF outflows and the price drop fed each other, with redemptions forcing BlackRock and other issuers to sell the underlying bitcoin to settle investor exits.
