Bitcoin ETFs shed $166M as BTC heads for worst start in years

Selling unit successful US-listed spot Bitcoin ETFs continued Thursday, with analysts noting the cryptocurrency is connected way for 1 of its worst yearly starts.

Spot Bitcoin (BTC) ETFs saw $165.8 cardinal successful outflows Thursday, bringing play losses to $403.9 million, according to SoSoValue data.

The redemptions moved the funds person to a imaginable five-week outflow streak, with year-to-date (YTD) losses totaling $2.7 billion.

Daily flows successful US spot Bitcoin ETFs this week. Source: SoSoValue

Trading enactment continued to shrink, falling 21% implicit the week and reaching its lowest levels since precocious December, signaling weakening capitalist activity.

Despite $53.9 cardinal successful cumulative nett inflows, analysts, including DropsTab, noted that 2026 is shaping up to beryllium “one of the worst yearly starts successful Bitcoin’s history,” with BTC prices down astir 22% year-to-date, according to TradingView data.

BlackRock’s IBIT leads losses with $368 cardinal successful outflows this week

BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT) accounted for the bulk of outflows this week, totaling $368 million, according to Farside data.

Other US-listed spot Bitcoin ETFs saw small oregon nary enactment this week, speech from astir $50 cardinal successful outflows from the Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund (FBTC) connected Wednesday.

Daily flows successful US spot Bitcoin ETFs by issuer. Source: Farside.co.uk

Some large fiscal institutions reported reducing IBIT vulnerability earlier this week, with Brevan Howard cutting its holding successful the fund by arsenic overmuch arsenic 85% successful the 4th fourth of 2025.

Bitcoin acceptable for 1 of its worst yearly starts

The ongoing outflows from Bitcoin ETFs coincide with weakening capitalist sentiment, arsenic aggregate sources constituent to unusually debased BTC terms levels compared to erstwhile cycles.

Drops Analytics highlighted Bitcoin’s terms successful the discourse of halving — an event that reduces BTC’s artifact reward erstwhile each 4 years and is typically followed by terms surges successful the years that follow.

Source: Drops Analytics

“Almost 2 years later, BTC trades astir $66,000 — astir the aforesaid level arsenic during the April 2024 halving,” Drops Analytics said successful a Telegram station connected Thursday.

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“This has ne'er happened before. In erstwhile cycles, BTC was already 3 to 10 times supra halving levels by now,” it added.

According to Checkonchain data, Bitcoin is disconnected to its worst yearly commencement connected record, 50 days into 2026, surpassing erstwhile down years, including 2018.

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