Bitcoin ETFs logged $1 billion in net outflows in the week ending May 15, ending a six week inflow streak.
Summary
- US spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $1 billion in net outflows for the week ending May 15, their largest weekly exit since late January.
- The reversal ended a six week inflow streak worth $3.4 billion, the longest positive run since July 2025.
- On the final trading day of the week, all 11 Bitcoin ETFs posted outflows totalling $290.42 million with no fund positive.
US spot Bitcoin ETFs posted $1 billion in net outflows for the week ending May 15, according to data tracked by SoSoValue. The exit is their largest weekly redemption since late January and came as Bitcoin traded near $79,000 amid surging Treasury yields and hotter than expected inflation data.
The outflow week ended the longest inflow streak the products had seen since July 2025. Crypto.news reported that the six week run had drawn $3.4 billion at an average of $568 million per week, giving the spring recovery much of its institutional credibility. April alone delivered $1.97 billion, the strongest monthly inflow total of 2026.
Macro headwinds end months of institutional buying
On May 15, the final trading day of the week, all 11 Bitcoin ETFs posted outflows. The complex shed $290.42 million that session alone with not a single product recording a positive flow, according to SoSoValue.
Ethereum ETFs added $255.11 million in outflows for the same week, extending their own negative streak and reinforcing broader sector caution. Cumulative net inflows across US spot Bitcoin ETFs since their January 2024 launch still stand at approximately $58.34 billion, with total assets under management at $104.29 billion.
A Nickel Digital survey found that 86% of institutional allocators and wealth managers still expect crypto ETF inflows to increase through 2026 as regulatory clarity improves, suggesting the outflow week may reflect short-term positioning rather than a structural shift in demand.
The macro backdrop drove the reversal. April CPI came in at 3.8% while PPI matched 2022 levels at 6%. The 10-year Treasury yield hit 4.54%, its highest since May 2025, and CME FedWatch moved above 44% probability of a Fed rate hike by December.
The pattern echoes earlier outflow periods this year. Crypto.news reported that the week ending February 27 saw a similar macro-driven reversal before inflows resumed the following week. In January, IBIT dominated the category with $1.035 billion of a $1.42 billion weekly total, a concentration that makes its outflow leadership in down weeks equally significant.
