Institutional selling of crypto reaches longest streak since Feb 2018

Published at: June 21, 2021

Institutional managers continued to take profits on their cryptocurrency holdings, with funds dedicated to Bitcoin (BTC) registering their sixth consecutive weekly outflows, according to CoinShares. 

Outflows from digital asset investment products totaled $79 million last week, marking the third consecutive weekly decline and the longest stretch of drawdowns since February 2018. Outflows from Bitcon funds totaled $89 million, whereas Ethereum (ETH) products endured a $1.9 million decline.

Year-to-date, Bitcoin investment products have generated over $4.1 billion in net inflows. Ether products, meanwhile, have accumulated $992 million since the start of 2021.

Multi-asset investment products that hold a basket of cryptocurrencies bucked the downtrend last week by registering $10 million in inflows. These funds have now generated $351 million in inflows this year, data revealed.

Related: Ethereum investment products see largest weekly outflows on record — CoinShares

Institutional buying of cryptocurrencies has wavered in recent weeks as portfolio managers continue to track a massive decline in asset values. Bitcoin is currently languishing below $33,000, having declined 50% from its May peak. The combined market value of all cryptocurrencies plunged below $1.4 trillion on Monday, virtually halving last month’s high.

While on-chain metrics seem to show favorable signs of a bottom — namely, that Bitcoin is being scooped up by long-term holders at the expense of newer wallets — market sentiment remains overwhelmingly bearish due to negative headlines. China’s ban on Bitcoin mining, an ominous “death cross” for Bitcoin and Grayscale’s giant BTC unlocking in July are just some of the headlines weighing down investor sentiment.

Tags
Related Posts
Institutional inflows into crypto hit lowest levels since October
Capital flows into cryptocurrency investment products rose again last week, though the pace of growth has slowed since the start of the year, possibly marking a local top in institutional demand. Net inflows totaled $21 million for the week ending March 27, according to CoinShares, a European digital asset manager. That was the lowest level since October 2020 when Bitcoin (BTC) was trading sub-$14,000. Coupled with low investment volumes, investor appetite for crypto assets appears to have waned. The decline coincided with the lackluster price performance of major assets like Bitcoin and Ether (ETH), which have been unable to test …
Bitcoin / March 29, 2021
Grayscale reopens crypto trusts for investment as Bitcoin price climbs
Digital asset investment manager Grayscale has resumed accepting new investments into almost all of its cryptocurrency trusts. The investment manager had paused new inflows into six of its trusts in late December 2020, just as the six-month lock-up period for selling recently-purchased shares in its Bitcoin Trust, which trades under the ticker GBTC, was winding up. As of the time of writing, products such as the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust and the Grayscale Digital Large Cap Fund Trust are all available for new investors, although the Grayscale Ethereum Trust remains unavailable. The Grayscale XRP Trust is inactive, and will likely remain …
Bitcoin / Jan. 12, 2021
Grayscale’s Bitcoin Holdings Pass $3 Billion, Growing 76% Year-on-Year
Grayscale, a major digital asset management fund, has continued to grow this year, with its total assets under management, or AUM, hitting new highs. According to a May 19 tweet, Grayscale’s total AUM hit $3.8 billion, surging over 80% from $2.1 billion in May 2019. Bitcoin trust continues to gain momentum Grayscale’s Bitcoin (BTC) trust has continued to lead other cryptocurrencies in the fund, accounting for $3.36 billion, or 89% of the firm’s total AUM. The value of Grayscale’s Bitcoin investment trust surged 76% from last year’s $1.9 billion. At the same time, Grayscale’s Bitcoin trust’s share saw a small …
Bitcoin / May 20, 2020
Crypto Markets See Green, US Stock Futures Solid Ahead of Goldman, Citi Earnings
Monday, April 15 — after yesterday’s mixed movements, all of the top twenty cryptocurrencies are seeing solid green on the day to press time, seeing growth of between one and 10%, as Coin350 data shows. Market visualization courtesy of Coin360 Bitcoin (BTC) is up around 1.5% on the day and is trading just under $5,200 by press time, according to CoinMarketCap. After hitting a multi-month price high of over $5,420 on April 10, the price of Bitcoin has subsequently corrected downwards — briefly dipping back below the $5,000 mark on April 12. The top coin has since seen mild renewed …
Bitcoin / April 15, 2019
Controlling shareholders' stakes in GBTC are 'highly illiquid': Report
According to a new Twitter post by Ryan Selkis, CEO of blockchain research firm Messari, Grayscale Bitcoin Trust's (GBTC) controlling shareholders Genesis Global and Digital Currency Group cannot simply "dump" their holdings to raise more capital. Selkis explained that the restrictions are due to Rule 144A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, which forces issuers of over-the-counter, or OTC, traded entities to give advance notice of proposed sales, as well as a quarterly cap on sale of either 1% of outstanding shares or weekly traded volume. 2/ DCG bought nearly $800mm worth of GBTC shares since the premium flipped …
Blockchain / Nov. 28, 2022