BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF Secures Almost $800M in Bitcoin

BlackRock is the world’s largest asset manager. Source: Shutterstock
  • IBIT has become a notable player in the exchange-traded products arena, recently reaching USD $11bn in AUM.
  • The fund recorded an impressive USD $788 million in AUM yesterday, positioning it with the second largest daily, weekly, and monthly flows across all ETFs.
  • Despite the ETFs’ recent inception and Bitcoin’s significant price increase, the comparison of inflows to trading volume suggests that some investors might be taking profits.

IBIT, short for iShares Bitcoin Trust, BlackRock’s Spot Bitcoin ETF is becoming somewhat of a legend in the world of exchange-traded products. It was just two days ago that the largest Spot BTC ETF reached USD $11 billion (AUD $16.9 billion) in assets under management (AUM).

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Yesterday, IBIT took in a whopping USD $788 million (AUD $1.197 billion) in AUM.

Source: Bloomberg/ Eric Balchunas

Eric Balchunas, Senior Bloomberg ETF analyst said this makes IBIT the ETF with the second largest daily, weekly and monthly flows and third in year-to-date flows—and this is across all ETFs not only Bitcoin ETFs.

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It will be interesting to see how long the world’s second largest ETF, BlackRock’s iShares Core S&P 500 ETF which holds approximately USD 449.6bn (AUD 682.8bn) as data shows, can remain on the throne.

Inflows and Volume: Are Investors Taking Profits?

Comparing the inflows of IBIT or any of the nine with their trading volume indicates that, although there are mostly net positive inflows, outflows are still occurring on a large scale. As the ETFs have been trading for just under two months now and Bitcoin has since increased almost 50% it’s likely some of the recent investors are already taking some profits.

However, the significant trading volumes in the face of substantial Bitcoin price appreciation and the participation of institutional investors—are within the realm of normal market dynamics, especially for a new investment vehicle in its early stages.

Certainly, it’s notable that Grayscale—which is charging a significantly higher fee of 1.5% compared to its competitors—continues to experience large net outflows, leading to occasional negative daily flows, as seen in the chart below.

Spot Bitcoin ETF flows in million USD, source: @HODL15Capital

While long-term holding may be a common strategy, active trading, including taking profits after significant price appreciation, is also a rational and expected part of market participation.

Related: Crypto Holdings in Super Funds Quadruple, ATO Figures Reveal

As the market for Bitcoin ETFs matures, it will be interesting to see how these dynamics evolve and whether initial assumptions about investor behaviour align with long-term trends.

Aaron Feuerstein
Author

Aaron Feuerstein

Aaron Feuerstein is a freelance writer based in Melbourne. His focus is on decentralised finance and the regulatory space surrounding blockchain. He holds a Master's in Accounting. When he is not studying the latest legal case, he enjoys his time as a modest but eager hobby cook.

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