U.S. bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) attracted $174.60m in net inflows on Friday, despite bitcoin’s price falling back below $80,000.
BlackRock’s IBIT accounted for the largest share of the investment, drawing $117.38m, while Fidelity’s FBTC received a further $57.22m. Trading across the bitcoin ETF group totalled $2.95bn, with combined net assets closing at $101.25bn.
The inflows came a day after bitcoin had moved above the $80,000 mark, highlighting continued demand for exposure to the cryptocurrency even as its price retreated.
BlackRock’s IBIT has now recorded $3.575bn of inflows over the past 30 days. The figures reinforce the fund’s position as the leading institutional route into bitcoin.
The latest market session produced two contrasting signals for investors. Demand for bitcoin investment products remained resilient, while stronger-than-expected U.S. employment data raised questions about the future direction of interest rates.
Ether ETFs also finished Friday in positive territory, recording total net inflows of $26.46m. However, the overall gain masked significant differences between individual funds.
BlackRock’s ETHA attracted $57.79m, while ETHB added $16.44m. Morgan Stanley’s MSSE recorded inflows of $528,020. Fidelity’s FETH, by contrast, saw $48.30m withdrawn, reducing the sector’s overall daily gains.
Trading value across ether ETFs reached $813.59m, with combined net assets of $15.57bn at the close of trading.
HYPE ETFs returned to positive territory after two sessions without a net movement. Bitwise’s BHYP accounted for the entire $10.52m inflow recorded by the group. Its trading value was $26.18m and net assets stood at $480.86m.
Solana ETFs moved in the opposite direction, posting combined outflows of $5.21m. Bitwise’s BSOL lost $2.79m, while Fidelity’s FSOL recorded outflows of $2.41m.
XRP ETFs registered no net flows, leaving broader cryptocurrency sentiment and changes in interest-rate expectations as the main focus for traders.
The U.S. employment figures added to the complexity of Friday’s market environment. Nonfarm payrolls increased by 162,000 in August, significantly above forecasts of 56,000.
The unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.1%, while average hourly earnings rose by 3.1% compared with the same month a year earlier.
President Donald Trump said the figures had “far exceeded all expectations” and repeated his call for lower interest rates.
The stronger labour-market report prompted investors to reassess the outlook for the Federal Reserve’s September policy decision. For cryptocurrency investors, expectations around borrowing costs have returned to the centre of attention after a week in which ETF demand remained strong.
The figures suggest that appetite for regulated bitcoin investment products has not been immediately undermined by the latest price pullback. At the same time, the jobs data could make the path towards lower rates less straightforward, potentially influencing sentiment across both traditional and cryptocurrency markets.
