US bitcoin ETFs report the largest inflow day since January, worth $731 million

Spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds in the U.S. saw the largest single-day net inflows since mid-January on Thursday following anticipation of an improving macroeconomic environment.According to SoSoValue data, the funds saw a total net inflow of $730.9 million, largely driven by roughly $454 million moving into BlackRock's IBIT. Six other funds, including ones from Fidelity and Grayscale, also reported inflows.Thursday's amount marks the largest net inflow day since January 14, and comes after the ETFs had their strongest month since September 2025. Last month, the U.S. bitcoin funds attracted a total of $3.5 billion.Rachael Lucas, crypto analyst at BTC Markets, said the significant amount of yesterday's inflows indicates that institutional investors are accumulating more bitcoin."The concentration in IBIT is the tell," Lucas said. "That is the wrapper institutions use for size, which points to allocation flow rather than tactical positioning."Analysts attributed Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller's earlier comment to being a major macroeconomic catalyst. While the U.S. Treasury Department's buyback expansion announcement triggered a crypto market rally in mid-August, experts said the market would need a positive macro signal to reach higher levels."Fed Governor Waller basically gave the market a green light; he said he's inclined to hold rates steady if inflation keeps cooling, which sent growth stocks and crypto flying," Jeff Mei, COO of BTSE, told The Block.According to The Block's crypto stocks data, Strategy rose 17.6% to $144.80, Coinbase gained 10% to $192.70, and Circle ended Thursday up 16.5% at $103.23.Keep eyes on macroMeanwhile, bitcoin (BTC) returned above the $81,000 line late Thursday night, and currently trades around $80,950.As macro signals remain the primary driver of today's crypto market movements, further comments and data will decide if bitcoin continues to rally, analysts said."Near-term, the risk is data. Jobs, then CPI," Lucas said. "Waller conditioned the dovish read on inflation cooling, so a hot print reverses the premise directly. September also carries a weak seasonal record. Those two prints plus the next few ETF sessions decide whether $81,000 is a floor or a fade."The BTC Markets analyst added that bitcoin's 90-day correlation with gold rose to a six-year high above 50%, while its correlation with the S&P 500 has fallen close to zero, which may indicate that bitcoin is being priced more as an inflation hedge than a high-beta risk asset."If that holds, it changes how this flow should be read over months rather than days," Lucas said.Disclaimer: The Block is an independent media outlet that delivers news, research, and data. As of November 2023, Foresight Ventures is a majority investor of The Block. Foresight Ventures invests in other companies in the crypto space. Crypto exchange Bitget is an anchor LP for Foresight Ventures. The Block continues to operate independently to deliver objective, impactful, and timely information about the crypto industry. Here are our current financial disclosures.© 2026 The Block. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.