Key Highlights
- Bitcoin and Ethereum face pressure as ETF demand stays weak, leaving the market exposed to more selling.
- Big ETFs like BlackRock and Fidelity show mixed flows, signaling cautious investor behavior and limited price support.
- Even with some inflows, OTC sales and slowing ETF activity could push more coins into the market, keeping prices under pressure.
Bitcoin and Ethereum are sliding as ETF activity stays low, leaving the market vulnerable to heavy selling. Factors like geopolitical tension, macroeconomic updates, and global shift to safe-haven assets have left crypto markets struggling.
According to CryptoQuant analyst Mignolet, ETF liquidity is not coming back sooner. The warning highlights that even prominent Bitcoin ETFs, like Fidelity’s FBTC and ARK’s ARKB, have failed to spark meaningful price gains.
Mignolet emphasized that Bitcoin prices closely follow cumulative flows of FBTC and ARKB, and both instruments are showing weakening trends. FBTC has not surpassed its previous high since March 2025, while ARKB has declined steadily since July 2025. This pattern mirrors past observations with MSTR, which peaked in November 2024 but failed to break new highs for almost a year.
The situation has raised concerns that current market demand may not absorb the ongoing selling pressure. Mignolet noted, “Short-term inflows may come back, but from a trend perspective, the picture is still negative. If there is no longer enough demand to absorb OTC selling, those coins will eventually flow into the open market.”
ETF activity highlights investor caution
As of January 15, Sosovalue data reveals mixed activity for the prominent Bitcoin ETFs. BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF (IBIT), listed on the Nasdaq exchange, was able to accommodate an inflow of $315.79 million. The fund currently manages $63.43 billion in assets with a market value of $74.78 billion, which indicates that despite the fall, more funds are being invested.
On the other hand, Fidelity’s FBTC had a loss of $188.89 million in net outflows. Grayscale’s GBTC also had a small net loss of 0.01% and $36.43 million. This demonstrates that investors have been very cautious.
As a whole, Bitcoin spot ETFs saw $100 million in net inflows on January 15, continuing a four-day streak of gains. Still, most of BlackRock’s IBIT ETF buying is over-the-counter (OTC), thereby not directly pushing up market prices. That means prices could continue falling as selling pressure mounts even with these inflows.
Broader crypto ETF trends
Ethereum ETFs on the other hand, reflect similar cautious dynamics. BlackRock’s ETHA ETF on Nasdaq attracted $149.16 million in inflows while Fidelity’s FETH amassed $15.21 million on January 15. Notably, none other ETFs have recorded any funds movement. This data suggest that investors remain interested but are hesitant to drive aggressive market rallies.
Other altcoin ETFs saw only modest activity. Solana ETFs had $8.94 million in inflows, and XRP ETFs added $17.06 million. Crypto analytics platform CryptoRank also noted that slower ETF inflows helped trigger another market drop, with $56 million in Bitcoin leveraged positions liquidated over the past 24 hours.
At the time of publishing, Bitcoin was trading around $95,368, and Ethereum at $3,304, as per CoinMarketCap data. The total crypto market is valued at $3.32 trillion, with $113 billion in 24 hours volume.
Also Read: Bitcoin OGs Slow Selling as Price Approaches $100K
