The first full trading week of 2026 ended on a weak note for U.S. digital asset ETFs. Spot Bitcoin ETFs posted about $250 million in net outflows on January 9, extending a four-day run of redemptions; for the week, Bitcoin ETFs lost a combined $681 million. That erased much of the strong start to the year, after the category had taken in $1.16 billion during the first two trading days.
The reversal was sharp. What had looked like a constructive New Year rally is now being described by some analysts as a fragile rebound rather than a durable shift in positioning.
IBIT led Friday’s sell-off while FBTC attracted fresh money
Among individual products, BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) saw the biggest hit on January 9, with $252 million leaving the fund. Fidelity’s FBTC stood out as one of the few exceptions, adding $7.9 million despite the broader move away from risk. That split highlights how selective fund flows became even within the same asset class.
Strategists at LVRG Research and SoSoValue linked the turn in flows to two pressures at once: aggressive profit-taking after Bitcoin briefly tested the $95,000 resistance area earlier in the week, and portfolio repositioning ahead of the upcoming U.S. Consumer Price Index release and fresh Federal Reserve guidance.
Ether ETFs also weakened as assets slipped to $18.7 billion
Ether products moved in the same direction. Ether ETFs recorded nearly $69 million in weekly net redemptions, while total net assets across Ethereum products fell to around $18.7 billion. The fact that both major crypto ETF segments saw money leave points to broad caution around the two largest digital assets, with traders waiting for clearer confirmation of a sustained upside move.
The report also notes a change in market behavior from last year. The “easy yield” environment of 2025 appears to have given way to a more tactical phase, where investors react faster to short-term price swings and shifts in interest-rate expectations.
XRP and Solana spot ETFs remained resilient
In contrast, XRP and Solana spot ETFs continued to bring in fresh capital during the same week. XRP ETFs attracted $38.1 million in net inflows for the week ended January 9 and set a post-launch record for weekly trading volume at $219 million. Canary Capital’s XRPC was identified as the leader in assets under management within that group. Solana ETFs added $41.1 million over the same period, maintaining their positive trend.
The gap in performance suggests that some institutional capital is not leaving crypto ETFs altogether. Instead, part of the market is rotating into more targeted exposure, shifting away from crowded Bitcoin products and into XRP- and Solana-linked vehicles.