Bitcoin ETFs post $1.26B outflows

U.S. spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds recorded net outflows in each trading session from May 15 through May 22, extending a six-session withdrawal streak that totaled about $1.26 billion, according to data cited by Crypto.news and flow trackers including Farside Investors. The run covered 11 U.S.-listed spot Bitcoin funds and marked the heaviest weekly pullback since late January, according to reports published on May 23 and May 24. The withdrawals came after a prior stretch of inflows and gave traders a fresh read on demand through regulated Bitcoin products. Bitcoin changed hands near the high-$70,000 range around the same period, according to market reports. ### Which dates are included in the $1.26 billion outflow streak? May 15 through May 22 are the six trading sessions included in the streak. Farside Investors’ daily flow table and follow-up reports show net outflows on May 15, May 18, May 19, May 20, May 21 and May 22, with no positive day in that span. The published totals indicate the withdrawals added up quickly. One third-party tracker showed daily net flows of about negative $290.3 million on May 15, negative $649.0 million on May 18, negative $331.2 million on May 19, negative $70.5 million on May 20, negative $100.8 million on May 21 and negative $105.5 million on May 22, which together come to roughly $1.55 billion; some reports using a narrower fund set or different cutoffs put the six-session total at $1.26 billion. (farside.co.uk) That gap reflects differences in methodology across trackers, not a dispute that the period was a sustained outflow run. ### Which funds were driving the withdrawals? BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust, trading under IBIT, featured prominently in the daily breakdowns. On the largest outflow day in the streak, May 18, one tracker showed IBIT losing about $448 million, while ARK 21Shares’ ARKB lost about $110 million and Fidelity’s FBTC lost about $63 million. May 19 also showed concentrated selling in the biggest products. (cryptosignalapp.com) The same tracker listed roughly $326 million leaving IBIT that day, with smaller withdrawals from Franklin Templeton’s EZBC and Fidelity’s FBTC. ### Why does this period stand out against earlier weeks? The week ending May 15 had already broken a six-week inflow streak. Crypto Times, citing SoSoValue data, reported that U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs posted about $1 billion in weekly net outflows for the week ended May 15, the largest weekly reversal in months. (cryptosignalapp.com) The next six trading sessions then extended the weakness instead of reversing it. The Block reported on May 24 that the $1.26 billion drawdown was the steepest weekly pullback since late January, placing the latest outflows in the context of one of the weakest stretches for the category in 2026. (cryptotimes.io) ### Did anyone argue the outflows were not purely bearish? Santiment said the outflow streak could be read as a contrarian signal rather than a simple bearish one. Cointelegraph reported on May 23 that the analytics firm described the ETF withdrawals as a “counter-indicator” that may reflect retail sentiment more than long-term institutional conviction. (theblock.co) That view was not universal, and the flow data itself only shows money leaving the funds. Reports from Farside Investors and other trackers documented the withdrawals but did not assign a motive to every seller. ### What should readers watch next when markets reopen? Farside Investors and other ETF flow dashboards will publish the next daily readings when U.S. trading resumes after Sunday, May 24. (cointelegraph.com) BlackRock’s IBIT, Fidelity’s FBTC and ARK 21Shares’ ARKB are likely to remain the closest-watched funds because they accounted for a large share of the withdrawals during the May 15-May 22 run. (farside.co.uk)