Bitcoin ETFs draw 2026-record $2.39 billion amid split demand signals

U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs drew $2.39 billion in net inflows this week. The total was the largest weekly figure of 2026. The funds trade on stock markets like ordinary shares. The funds hold Bitcoin for investors. Inflows opened at $998.95 million on September 21, according to SoSoValue. Inflows fell each session and reached $134.47 million on Friday. Friday's inflow was about 87% below Monday's level. Money entered the funds for a seventh straight day. Monday's surge followed a 6.7% Bitcoin gain on its heaviest trading volume since August 21. About $262 million in bets against Bitcoin were forcibly closed within an hour. Those closures pushed the traders to buy. ETF inflows had returned after the Federal Reserve raised its rate range to between 3.75% and 4% on September 16. S&P Global's business survey later showed the fastest U.S. growth since July 2021. The 10-year Treasury yield rose above 5%. Bitcoin fell below $84,000 within an hour. Bitcoin traded near $84,241, down 0.06% over 24 hours. ETFs held $108.42 billion in total assets. About $2.52 billion in net BTC left major exchanges between September 22 and 24, according to CryptoQuant. Coins leaving trading platforms usually move into long-term storage. Wallets holding between 100 BTC and 1,000 BTC bought 113,950 BTC since July 15, according to Santiment data. Long-term holders added more than 3 million BTC since 2020, according to River. River said 81% of Bitcoin's supply, or 16.3 million BTC, had not moved in at least six months. Exchange trading volume was 30% below its level at the start of the year. ETFs had bought only about 18,000 BTC in September as of River's September 23 report. River said that pace was below the funds' monthly average since launch. River's team wrote that Bitcoin had risen 50% without a real increase in demand. River said fewer coins changing hands had lifted the price more than fresh buyers had. The next test is September 30, when the August personal consumption expenditures inflation report is due. Economists expect a measurement change to pull inflation lower. River cautioned that nobody can predict when demand will return.