Ether ETFs Outpace Bitcoin as Late-Week Selling Erodes Crypto Fund Gains
Crypto exchange-traded fund (ETF) investors began the week buying with conviction and ended it heading for the exits. The reversal was sharp, but not quite strong enough to erase the early gains in bitcoin and ether funds.
From July 20 through July 24, U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs attracted $33.79 million in net inflows. Ether funds drew $103.90 million, roughly three times the bitcoin total. $XRP ETFs added $8.15 million, while Solana products brought in $7.2 million.
$HYPE ETFs moved in the opposite direction, recording $8.61 million in net outflows.
Bitcoin’s Early Rally Fades
Bitcoin ETFs opened with three strong sessions. The products attracted $227 million on Monday, $203 million on Tuesday and $69 million on Wednesday, extending an inflow streak that had started the previous week.
The momentum broke on Thursday with a $225 million outflow. Another $240 million left the funds on Friday, reducing the weekly total to just under $34 million.
Blackrock’s IBIT finished the week with $95.5 million in net outflows, while Grayscale’s GBTC lost $83.7 million. Wisdomtree’s BTCW and Franklin Templeton’s EZBC also recorded withdrawals of $5.1 million and $5.6 million.
ARK 21Shares’ ARKB led the winners with $78.1 million in inflows. Grayscale’s Bitcoin Mini Trust added $85.8 million, while Fidelity’s FBTC attracted $35.2 million. Morgan Stanley’s MSBT gained $15.7 million, and Bitwise’s BITB brought in $7.2 million.
Bitcoin’s weekly inflow fell about 55% from the previous week’s $75.67 million. Against ending assets of $77.82 billion, the additions represented only about 0.04% of total assets.
Ether Leads as Altcoin Investors Turn Selective
Ether ETFs delivered the stronger weekly performance. They posted inflows of $38 million on Monday, $37 million on Tuesday, $73 million on Wednesday and $26 million on Thursday.
The result suggests that institutional demand remains tilted toward ether. Its appeal extends beyond price exposure to activity in stablecoins, decentralized finance, blockchain settlement and corporate treasury strategies.
Altcoin ETF flows were more measured. $XRP funds attracted $2.49 million on Monday and $5.66 million on Tuesday, ending the week with $8.15 million. Solana ETFs gained $2.64 million and $5.83 million in the first two sessions, then lost $1.27 million on Wednesday. No further flows followed.
$HYPE funds continued to struggle. After a quiet Monday, they lost about $698,000 on Tuesday, $1.02 million on Thursday and $6.89 million on Friday.
The week’s two-part pattern reflected a wider shift in risk appetite. Early crypto demand gave way to caution as technology earnings revived concerns about artificial intelligence spending, while higher oil prices added to inflation and bond-yield risks.
ETF growth is also reshaping crypto trading itself. Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas argued that low-cost funds threaten high-margin intermediaries, since investors can gain crypto exposure through ETFs for only a few basis points. For native exchanges, the competitive pressure is no longer theoretical.
