Bitcoin Registers Fourth-Best Day of 2024 as BlackRock ETF Posts Record Volume
BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust registered $4.1 billion in volume traded as bitcoin broke out to all-time highs.
- Bitcoin rose more than 9% on Wednesday to claim a record high.
- BlackRock's IBIT exchange-traded fund saw its biggest volume traded since its introduction.
- U.S. spot-listed bitcoin ETFs saw over $620 million of net inflows.
Bitcoin (BTC) posted its fourth-best day of the year on Wednesday following the U.S. presidential election victory of Donald Trump, who voiced support for the crypto industry during his campaign.
The largest cryptocurrency by market value climbed more than 9% to hit a record $76,481, CoinDesk Indices data show. It hit 9.7% at the end of February, during a rally that took it to the previous high in March, gained 10% after dropping from that high and added 12% after the Aug. 5 yen carry trade unwind.
While Wednesday's swing may concern investors who think the gain is unsustainable, earlier research indicated BTC could rise 11% on a Trump victory.
Bitcoin ETF inflows
The rally coincided with massive inflows into spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which added a net $621.9 million, according to Farside data. The flow, one of the highest figures since the products' introduction in January, snapped a three-day streak of outflows. Total net inflows have now reached $24.2 billion.
Among notable performances, Grayscale's Bitcoin Mini Trust (BTC) registered $108.8 million, its second-biggest day since the start of trading. Bitwise Bitcoin ETF (BITB) saw a $100.9 million inflow, also one of its biggest net inflow days.
BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), in contrast, posted a second-straight day of net outflows, losing a total of $113.3 million over the period. Trading volume in the ETF was at a record level, according to Senior Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas.
"IBIT just had its biggest volume day ever with $4.1b traded," Balchunas wrote. "That's more volume than stocks like Berkshire, Netflix, or Visa saw today. It was also up 10%, its second-best day since launching, some of this will convert into inflows".
Overall, "the group of bitcoin ETFs did $6b, their best day since the crazy early days. Most of the ETFs did 2x their average. It was just an all-around banger day for an infant category that never ceases to amaze," he wrote.
To provide some historical context, ETF trade volume reached a $9.9 billion peak during the March bull run, according to data from checkonchain. Total trade volume on Nov. 6 reached approximately $76 billion, comprising futures volume of $62 billion, spot volume of $8 billion and ETF trade volume of $6 billion, so ETF trade volume is still a small percentage of the total.
Ether (ETH) is lagging behind bitcoin's 2024 performance. Net inflows into ether U.S. spot ETFs totaled $52.3 million, the most since Sept. 27, according to Farside data.
As of press time, bitcoin is trading at just over $75,000, up 77% year-to-date, while ether is trading at $2,822, up 20% year-to-date.
James Van Straten
As the senior analyst at CoinDesk, specializing in Bitcoin and the macro environment. Previously, working as a research analyst at Saidler & Co., a Swiss hedge fund, introduced to on-chain analytics. James specializes in daily monitoring of ETFs, spot and futures volumes, and flows to understand how Bitcoin interacts within the financial system. James holds more than $1,000 worth of bitcoin, MicroStrategy (MSTR), Semler Scientific (SMLR), IREN (IREN), MARA Holdings (MARA), Cipher Mining (CIFR), Bitfarms (BITF), Riot Platforms (RIOT) and CleanSpark (CLSK).