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Recent data reveals a troubling trend for Bitcoin: short-term holders are exiting, and overall demand momentum has plunged to historic lows. Could this signal a coming price correction?

Retail Investors Pulling Back

• 15% drop in short-term holders (STHs) since late May
• Only 4.5M BTC held by STHs vs. 5.3M previously
• Demand growth slowed to 118K BTC/month (from 228K)

STHs typically fuel bull runs by buying from long-term holders. Their retreat suggests weakening retail interest.

Institutional Demand Also Cooling

• Whale accumulation rate halved (1.7% vs. 3.9%)
• ETF daily purchases dropped 66% since April
• Futures traders increasingly shorting BTC near $105K

The Bullish Counterpoint

Despite the slowdown, major players keep accumulating:
✅ BlackRock added $1.4B BTC this week (670K total)
✅ MicroStrategy bought 10,100 BTC ($1.05B)
✅ MetaPlanet hit 10,000 BTC milestone

What’s Next for Bitcoin?

With BTC stuck between $100K-$110K, the market faces a tug-of-war:

• Bear case: Weak demand could trigger drop below $100K
• Bull case: Institutional buying may prop up prices

Key levels to watch:

• Support: $100K psychological floor
• Resistance: $110K breakout point

The BlackRock Bitcoin ETF (IBIT) continues to dominate the U.S. crypto investment scene. On May 15, IBIT pulled in $410 million in daily inflows—outpacing all other U.S. Bitcoin ETFs combined. This surge signals strong and growing institutional confidence in Bitcoin.

IBIT Leads While Competitors See Outflows

While IBIT added 3,975 BTC to its holdings on Thursday, competitors stumbled:

• Fidelity’s FBTC saw $123 million in outflows
• Ark Invest’s ARKB lost $132 million
• Grayscale’s GBTC shed $32 million

IBIT’s cumulative inflows now stand at a staggering $45.4 billion since its launch. This unmatched performance solidifies BlackRock’s lead in the Bitcoin ETF race.

Institutional Interest Shows Mixed Signals

Despite IBIT’s strength, institutional data for Q1 2025 shows a complex picture:

• The number of institutional holders increased by 19%, showing wider adoption.
• However, the percentage of overall ownership fell to 25%, down from 30% in the previous quarter.

Crypto trader Trader T believes this dip may be temporary, with early Q2 data hinting at a rebound.

Notable Movements: Goldman Sachs and Mubadala

Institutional moves continue to make headlines:

• The Wisconsin Investment Board exited its $321 million IBIT position in Q1.
• Meanwhile, Goldman Sachs is now the largest holder of IBIT shares.
• Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala fund also revealed a stake of 8.7 million IBIT shares, valued at $408.5 million.

These shifts reflect ongoing rebalancing within the financial sector as crypto becomes increasingly mainstream.

Bitcoin Targets All-Time High

Alongside ETF inflows, Bitcoin price is up 2% and hovering near $104,000. Crypto analyst Captain Faibik highlighted strong bullish momentum, suggesting that breaking the $104.9K resistance could push Bitcoin to new all-time highs.

With buyers in control and institutional demand on the rise, the market is closely watching for the next breakout.

Bitcoin ETF inflows continued to climb on Thursday, marking the fifth day in a row of positive momentum. With more than $440 million added in a single day, total inflows for the week reached $2.68 billion—the highest since December 2024.

BlackRock and ARK Lead the Charge

BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) led Thursday’s surge, pulling in $327.32 million. This pushed its total cumulative inflows to a massive $40.96 billion.

ARK Invest and 21Shares’ Bitcoin ETF (ARKB) followed with $97.02 million in daily inflows. This brought their combined historical inflows to $3.09 billion, reinforcing investor confidence in institutional crypto products.

Bitcoin Futures Signal Rising Demand

Alongside the ETF inflows, the broader crypto market also showed signs of strength. Bitcoin’s price rose 1% over the last 24 hours, accompanied by a similar 1% rise in BTC futures open interest, which now stands at $65.31 billion.

This parallel uptick suggests that new positions are being opened in support of the price rise—a typical bullish sign. Investors seem more willing to enter the market, indicating growing confidence.

Options Market Turns Bullish

In the options market, the sentiment is also leaning bullish. The current put-to-call ratio is 0.74, meaning more call options (bets on higher prices) are being purchased than puts (bets on lower prices). This signals that traders expect continued upside for BTC.

Funding Rate Shows Caution

However, not all signs point upward. Despite bullish activity in ETFs and options, the Bitcoin funding rate remains negative at -0.0008%. A negative rate suggests short sellers are still active, betting on a potential short-term price dip.

This mixed sentiment reveals a market that’s cautiously optimistic—strong buying activity through ETFs and options, but with a hint of skepticism from futures traders.