Bitcoin near $60,000 today vs February: Institutional sentiment has flipped

Bitcoin’s return to $60,000 is drawing heavy ETF outflows, marking a sharp reversal from February when institutional selling eased into the dip.

What to know:

• Bitcoin has returned to about $60,000, but unlike in February, spot bitcoin ETF investors are now selling heavily into the price dip.
• U.S.-listed spot bitcoin ETFs saw $1.72 billion in net outflows last week, the largest weekly redemption in over a year and far above the $318 million outflow when prices last neared $60,000 in early February.
• Outflows from these ETFs have accelerated for four straight weeks as prices fell, signaling a more bearish institutional stance than February.

Bitcoin BTC$62,806.40 is back to trading at levels seen in early February: near $60,000. But this time, the response from institutions is totally different.

Today, they are aggressively selling into the dip, ETF flows indicate, unlike in February, when selling slowed as prices dropped to near $60,000. That marks a fundamental shift in how institutions view bitcoin at this level.

The 11 U.S.-listed spot bitcoin ETFs saw net outflows of $1.72 billion last week. That's the largest single-week redemption in over a year, according to data source SoSoValue. Back in the first week of February, when BTC crashed to nearly $60,000, the ETFs bled just $318 million.

The bearish contrast doesn't end there.

Outflows have accelerated for four consecutive weeks, rising from $1 billion in the week ended May 15 to $1.26 billion, then $1.26 billion and $1.42 billion in the following two weeks, and most recently $1.72 billion.

In February it was different. The week BTC hit $60,000 saw $318 million leave. But the two weeks before that had seen $1.33 billion and $1.49 billion leave. In essence, as the price crashed, outflows slowed. Buyers showed up.

This time, the trend has reversed: As price fell, outflows accelerated. Week after week, faster redemptions and no institutional bid beneath them.

The pattern tells a bearish story and suggests the bulls may have tough time holding on to the $60,000 support. As of writing, bitcoin changed hands near $62,000.

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• Bitcoin's weakness stems from multiple converging headwinds rather than a single catalyst, NYDIG's Greg Cipolaro said in a report.
• AI momentum, high-profile tech IPOs, quantum and security fears, sanctions on Iranian crypto exchanges and Strategy's BTC sale all played a role in the selloff, he said.
• Onchain metrics point at...

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