Bitcoin (BTC) markets continued their downtrend late on Monday, with prices falling below $92,000 on Tuesday morning.
Bitcoin Balances Prospects as ETFs Record $420 Million Outflows Ahead of New Year
Despite MicroStrategy’s year-end Bitcoin purchase and the market’s anticipation of policy changes from US President-elect Donald Trump, investors and analysts are predicting subdued activity heading into 2025.
Investors at Singapore-based QCP Capital said in a Telegram post that they were “skeptical of any New Year’s breakout” as funding rates remained steady. They highlighted the historical average return of +3.3% in January, similar to +4.8% in December, suggesting price action could remain limited through February.
“Option flows reflect similar sentiments, with front-end volatility falling and risk-reversal bids mostly for call options in March,” they said, referring to rising call options sentiment in March.
Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) containing Bitcoin have experienced significant outflows, with $420 million withdrawn on December 30 alone.
Fidelity’s FBTC led the decline with $154 million in outflows, followed by Grayscale’s GBTC ($130 million) and BlackRock’s IBIT ($36 million).
ETFs have recorded net outflows of more than $1.5 billion since Dec. 19, marking a sharp reversal from the nearly $2 billion inflows seen earlier in the month.
Analysts interpret this trend as a potential shift towards a more cautious or bearish outlook on Bitcoin’s short-term performance.
Bitcoin is set to close December with a 4% monthly loss, its worst performance since 2021.
This decline comes after a 117% year-on-year surge as retail investors and long-term holders took profits. The decline in Bitcoin prices also affected major altcoins, with ether (ETH), XRP, Solana’s SOL, and Cardano’s ADA all dropping by up to 3% before recovering slightly.
MicroStrategy Acquisition Fails to Boost Sentiment
MicroStrategy, a leading bitcoin development firm, announced its eighth consecutive week of BTC purchases, adding 2,138 BTC for $209 million on Dec. 29. Thus, its total holdings reached 446,400 BTC.
However, the announcement failed to boost market sentiment. BTC prices fell further following the news, with MicroStrategy shares falling by 8% to their lowest level since November.
*This is not investment advice.
