Bitcoin relief rally hits wall as spot ETFs log $228M in outflows

US spot Bitcoin ETFs saw $228 million in outflows Thursday, ending a three-day inflow streak, while Solana ETFs posted their first losses since February.

The latest streak of inflows in US spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) was interrupted by fresh outflows as the BTC price dipped below $71,000 on Thursday.

Spot Bitcoin (BTC) ETFs saw $228 million in net outflows on Thursday, ending the three-day inflow streak of about $1.1 billion, according to SoSoValue data.

While weekly inflows still held at $917.3 million heading into Friday’s session, year-to-date net outflows rose to around $900 million. Cumulative inflows in 2026 so far amount to $3.58 billion, while cumulative outflows total $4.49 billion.

Total assets under management remained above $90 billion after reclaiming the threshold earlier this week.

According to Farside data, BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF (IBIT) led outflows with $89 million, followed by Fidelity’s Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund (FBTC) at $48 million and the Bitwise Bitcoin ETF (BITB) at $46 million.

The slip in spot Bitcoin ETFs came as analysts pointed to BTC’s relief rally facing headwinds amid a persisting bear market.

Related: Bitcoin is forming a bottom as the 4-year cycle ends: VanEck CEO

According to CryptoQuant, Bitcoin’s rally above $73,000 was “likely just a relief rally” rather than the start of a new bull phase. The observation aligns with the analysts’ previous forecasts that BTC could fall below $60,000 amid the ongoing crypto winter.

Negative sentiment hit altcoin ETFs, with Ether (ETH) funds posting $91 million in outflows. XRP (XRP) and Solana (SOL) also saw minor outflows of $6 million and $5 million, respectively.

Notably, Solana ETF outflows marked the first losses since early February, while year-to-date inflows have totaled roughly $200 million. In comparison, XRP has seen $86 million in inflows.

Solana’s ETFs have accumulated $1.5 billion in cumulative inflows despite a 57% drop in SOL’s price since the launch of spot ETFs in July, Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas said in a post on X.

“Yet they managed to not only accumulate $1.5 billion in flows but not really give any of it up,” Balchunas said, adding that many institutions have increased exposure to Solana in the fourth quarter of 2025. “Both are really good signs for the future,” he added.

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Source: CoinTelegraph