Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs)—investments that track the price of the cryptocurrency—on Monday recorded their best day since January, as the crypto market rebounded from yearly lows.
Bitcoin ETFs have been bleeding since President Trump took office as his on-again, off-again trade policy sends investors running from risky assets like crypto. But that changed this week as the class of 12 ETFs added $381 million in inflows on Monday, the highest amount since pulling in $588 million on Jan. 29, according to data from analytics platform SoSoValue.
These ETF inflows signal that, after panic selling crypto following Trump’s sweeping tariff announcement earlier this month, investors are reassessing their approach, Michele Crivelli, founder of digital asset issuer NexBridge, told Fortune.
“The latest surge in ETF activity reflects a tactical shift in asset allocation,” he said. “Bitcoin is increasingly viewed as a legitimate hedge, much like gold, especially in uncertain market conditions.”
Bitcoin ETFs are gaining as Bitcoin rebounds from below $75,000 earlier this month, increasing 3% on Tuesday and surpassing $90,000. The rebound comes as Trump continues to dig in on tariffs and engages in a one-sided feud with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell over interest rates. The White House confirmed on Friday that the president is “studying” whether he has the power to fire Powell.
Since January, the value of the U.S. dollar has tumbled as Trump’s tariff policy causes investors to flee American assets. As Trump takes aim at the Fed, concerns over the central bank’s independence have further depressed the U.S. dollar, pushing it on Monday to its lowest value since 2022.
Because of this, some crypto analysts say investors are flocking to Bitcoin because the cryptocurrency is not controlled by any central bank or government and therefore, is detached from macroeconomic factors like tariffs and interest rates.
“With growing uncertainty in the traditional monetary system and the U.S. regulatory environment shifting toward constructive engagement, institutional investors are clearly recalibrating and Bitcoin is emerging as the primary beneficiary,” Thomas Erdösi, head of product at a crypto data company CF Benchmarks, told Fortune.
While Monday’s inflows indicate a shifting sentiment toward crypto amid the recent economic uncertainty, $381 million comes nowhere near a record high for the asset class. Bitcoin ETFs, which debuted last January, have been some of the most successful ETFs in history, with BlackRock’s version accumulating a record $50 billion in inflows within 11 months. In February, Bitcoin ETFs pulled in a record $1 billion within a single day.
