Key Takeaways
- Ether ETFs gained $27.42M through July 31, extending their inflow streak to 4 weeks.
- Bitcoin ETFs lost $61.53M as Fed policy split demand and ended 3 weeks of gains.
- XRP added $14.86M while HYPE lost $14.75M, setting up a more selective August market.
A $233 Million Rally Fades by Friday
The week began with a trickle, surged into a flood and ended with the doors swinging toward the exit. By Friday’s close, crypto exchange-traded fund (ETF) investors had produced a sharply divided result: ether held its momentum, bitcoin’s recovery stalled, and altcoin flows scattered across the risk spectrum.
Bitcoin ETFs opened with two losing sessions. Investors withdrew $11.64 million on Monday and $49.75 million on Tuesday, extending an outflow run that had begun the previous week.
Demand returned at midweek. The funds added $32.11 million on Wednesday and another $233.13 million on Thursday, when seven products recorded inflows and none posted a withdrawal.
Friday erased that recovery. A $265 million exit left bitcoin ETFs with a $61.53 million weekly outflow, ending three consecutive weeks of gains. July still closed with $172.8 million in net inflows, preserving a modest monthly recovery.
Blackrock’s IBIT led the weekly winners with $86.9 million. Morgan Stanley’s MSBT added $7.4 million, while Bitwise’s BITB and Vaneck’s HODL gained $2.9 million and $2.3 million. Selling was heavier elsewhere. Fidelity’s FBTC lost $85.2 million, Grayscale’s GBTC shed $52.6 million and ARK 21Shares’ ARKB recorded a $30.6 million outflow.
The Federal Reserve meeting split the week in two. Policymakers held the federal funds rate at 3.50% to 3.75% in a 9-3 vote, with three officials favoring a quarter-point increase. Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh said market interest rates had risen between meetings as the central bank stepped back from heavy reliance on forward guidance. That backdrop increased the sensitivity of liquid, macro-driven positions such as bitcoin ETFs.
Ether Holds Firm as Altcoins Separate
Ether ETFs produced a steadier result. They attracted $9.23 million on Monday and $14.53 million on Tuesday, followed by an $18.65 million outflow on Wednesday. Inflows of $13.29 million on Thursday and about $9 million on Friday lifted the weekly total to $27.42 million.
That extended ether’s positive streak to four weeks, although the scale of demand remained modest.
XRP ETFs finished with $14.86 million in net inflows. Franklin Templeton’s XRPZ collected capital across several sessions, while demand accelerated on Thursday and Friday.
Solana ETFs added $2.82 million. The category absorbed an $18.07 million Tuesday withdrawal, then recovered through a $19.06 million Wednesday inflow and smaller gains during the rest of the week.
HYPE funds remained the clear laggard. Redemptions reached $14.75 million, marking a third straight negative week. Outflows occurred on four sessions, including an $8.78 million exit on Wednesday.
The closing ledger showed investors still willing to hold crypto exposure through regulated funds. Their choices grew more selective as the week progressed, favoring ether’s consistency and asset-specific opportunities in XRP and solana while trimming bitcoin’s macro-sensitive exposure and crowded HYPE positions.
