Bitcoin ETF Outflows Resume as Traders Split Ahead of the Fed’s Rate Decision

Bitcoin is holding just under $65,000 heading into Wednesday’s Federal Reserve decision, while the spot ETFs that many institutions use to gain exposure keep bleeding money.

U.S. spot bitcoin ETFs recorded four consecutive sessions of outflows totaling roughly $526 million, resuming a pattern that has defined much of the fund category’s year. Over an earlier eight-week stretch, cumulative outflows from the group topped $8.2 billion, briefly interrupted by a $510 million, three-session inflow run in early July before selling pressure returned.

The renewed outflows are landing directly ahead of the Fed’s rate decision, with traders split on what happens next. Some desks are positioning for a possible rate hike, a less common bet in recent cycles, while several bitcoin-focused analysts are calling for the Fed to hold rates steady instead. That disagreement alone is adding uncertainty to an already cautious market, since a hike would generally be read as bad news for risk assets including bitcoin, while a hold or a dovish tone from the Fed could support prices.

Bitcoin’s price has stayed comparatively resilient through the recent volatility, holding closer to $64,000-65,000 even as ETF flows turned negative again and a chip-stock selloff in Asia briefly spilled into broader risk sentiment earlier this week. That relative stability, even alongside persistent ETF outflows, suggests spot ETF flows and bitcoin’s actual price are not moving in lockstep right now, with other buyers evidently absorbing the selling pressure coming from ETF redemptions.

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