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Outflows from spot Bitcoin ETFs surged to $530 million on Thursday, October 16, indicating a decline in institutional interest. This comes as the BTC price faces further selling pressure and has dropped below $108,000 level today. On the other hand, Gold continues with an unprecedented rally, hitting fresh highs above $4,350 while becoming a $30 trillion asset class.
Bitcoin ETF Outflows Rise As BTC Struggles
US spot Bitcoin ETFs saw outflows surging to $530 on Thursday, amid the strong market sell-off. Over the past week, the outflows have dominated the inflows, totaling $850 million. Moreover, none of the spot ETFs saw any inflows during yesterday’s trading session.
Ark Invest’s ARKB saw the most outflows at $275 million, while Fidelity’s FBTC saw the second-biggest outflows at $132 million, as per data from Farisde Investors. Moreover, none of the spot ETFs saw any inflows during yesterday’s trading session. This shows that the institutional sentiment is clearly turning bearish amid recent crypto market liquidations.
BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF (IBIT) recorded a net outflow of 272 BTC, equivalent to approximately $29.37 million. Furthermore, it recorded a trading volume of $5.4 billion, during yesterday’s trading session. BlackRock’s IBIT has been among the best-performing ETFs this year in 2025.
Bitcoin ETF Outflows Rise As BTC Price Drops
Outflows from spot Bitcoin ETFs have surged while BTC price continues to face strong selling pressure. Bitcoin is already down like 15% from its all-time highs of $126,000, and has currently slipped under $108,000 levels.
The recent selling pressure came as US President Donald Trump imposed a 100% tariff on China, to be effective from November 1st. This derailed the entire early ‘Uptober’ rally in Bitcoin and the broader crypto market.
The last time Trump imposed such heavy tariffs, in April, the BTC price has corrected 30% since then. If this trajectory repeats, Bitcoin may experience another dip under $100,000.
Crypto analyst Daan Crypto Trades noted that Bitcoin (BTC) is struggling around its key bull market support band and is showing signs of weakening. Daan added that as long as stocks and gold remain near their all-time highs, Bitcoin has a strong chance of holding the support.
The analyst also highlighted that the end of the year often brings heightened volatility, signaling the potential for significant price swings through late 2025.
Gold Emerges Ultimate Winner
Amidst the broader macroeconomic uncertainty, the yellow metal Gold has emerged as the ultimate winner. It exhibits the true characteristics of a hedge and a reserve asset, becoming the first to reach a $30 trillion valuation.
Liquidity is currently pouring into gold, as the precious metal attracts safe-haven demand while the crypto market cools. Historically, these phases are short-lived, and when liquidity rotates back, the movement tends to be swift.
Since the beginning of 2025, Gold prices have already rallied by more than 60%. Popular crypto market analyst Michael van de Poppe compared the current rally to that in 1979. Back then, the yellow metal saw a sharp correction, crashing 50%.
He believes that once the liquidity for Gold dries up, it will all move to Bitcoin. Commenting about Gold, Poppe stated:
“I don’t know how high it will go, but I do know that this is called euphoria. That money is about to flow into #Bitcoin as there’s a big mispricing between the two. Bitcoin to $1 million in the next 1-2 years.”
