Key Takeaways
- Bitcoin ETFs lost $462.73M last week, ending a three-week inflow streak.
- Ether, XRP, and solana still drew capital, showing institutions stayed selective on crypto.
- The Fed’s Sept. 16 decision and the Senate CLARITY vote could reset ETF demand.
Ether Gains $197M as Bitcoin Ends Three-Week Inflow Streak
The institutional tide turned sharply against bitcoin last week.
After nearly $1 billion flowed into bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) the previous week, the category recorded redemptions in every trading session from Sept. 8 through Sept. 11. The reversal came as bitcoin’s price settled around $77,000 and investors confronted a tougher macro backdrop.
Tuesday opened for bitcoin ETFs with a $46.65 million exit. Outflows accelerated to $120.24 million on Wednesday and $282.56 million on Thursday before slowing to $13.29 million on Friday. That left weekly bitcoin ETF outflows at $462.73 million.
Ark & 21Shares’ ARKB suffered the largest weekly loss at $234.2 million. Grayscale’s GBTC shed $129.1 million, while Blackrock’s IBIT and Fidelity’s FBTC lost $52.5 million and $50.7 million, respectively. Morgan Stanley’s MSBT bucked the trend with $19.7 million in inflows.
Ether Absorbs Capital as Bitcoin Retreats
Ether ETFs told a very different story.
The group attracted $197.11 million, extending its streak of positive weeks to four. Tuesday began with a $24.29 million outflow, followed by a $34.75 million inflow on Wednesday and another $29.76 million exit on Thursday.
Then came Friday. Ether ETFs pulled in $216.41 million in a single session, more than the net inflow for the entire week. That late surge erased earlier weakness and highlighted the resilience of institutional demand for ethereum.
Trading activity reinforced the divergence. Bitcoin ETF turnover fell roughly 28% week over week to $8.76 billion. Ether ETF turnover jumped about 54% to $5.14 billion. Across the five major crypto ETF categories, flows swung from roughly $1.24 billion in inflows the prior week to $263 million in outflows.
XRP and Solana Stay Positive While Hype Slips
XRP ETFs quietly maintained their momentum.
Funds attracted $18.98 million during the week, including $1.55 million on Tuesday, $12.29 million on Wednesday and $5.14 million on Thursday. Friday was flat. Those flows provided another signal for traders monitoring XRP’s price, particularly as capital becomes increasingly selective across digital assets.
Solana ETFs also finished positive with $10.30 million in weekly inflows. Wednesday’s $11.73 million addition carried the category through smaller outflows during the other sessions.
HYPE moved in the opposite direction, losing $26.42 million for the week.
Together, ether, XRP and solana attracted about $226 million. The figures show that institutional capital remained active even as bitcoin absorbed the brunt of the risk reduction.
Fed and Crypto Legislation Set up the Next Test
Macro policy now moves to the foreground. The Federal Reserve meets Sept. 15-16, with interest-rate futures pointing to a strong possibility of a quarter-point increase following persistent inflation pressure. The decision is due Wednesday.
Washington also has a key crypto-policy event ahead. The Senate is scheduled to hold a procedural vote on Tuesday on a revised CLARITY Act covering digital-asset market structure and new ethics provisions, with the bill needing 60 votes to advance.
For ETF investors, those two events could determine whether bitcoin’s four-session losing streak deepens or institutional demand finds its footing again.
