BlackRock's Bitcoin ETF rare fund with massive 2025 inflows despite negative performance
Analysis
Price Impact
HighMassive inflows into blackrock's bitcoin etf (ibit) totaling $25 billion in 2025, despite the fund posting a -9.6% return, demonstrate strong, persistent institutional and long-term retail demand. this 'hodl clinic' behavior indicates deep underlying conviction, absorbing selling pressure even in a down year.
Trustworthiness
HighThe information is provided by coindesk, a reputable crypto news source, quoting bloomberg's well-respected etf analyst, eric balchunas, who provides specific and verifiable data points on etf inflows.
Price Direction
BullishThe continued significant inflows into bitcoin etfs, even during a period of negative price performance, suggest a robust accumulation phase by long-term investors. this consistent demand, regardless of short-term price action, creates a strong foundation for future price appreciation when broader market sentiment turns positive, indicating that new capital is constantly entering the bitcoin ecosystem.
Time Effect
LongThe analyst explicitly states that this sustained inflow despite negative performance is a 'really good sign long term,' implying that these investor behaviors are setting the stage for significant growth potential over an extended period, rather than immediate, short-term price swings.
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Markets Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email BlackRock's Bitcoin ETF rare fund with massive 2025 inflows despite negative performance "If you can do $25 billion in bad year, imagine the flow potential in good year," said Bloomberg's Eric Balchunas By Stephen Alpher Dec 20, 2025, 2:00 p.m. IBIT rakes in fresh money even as performance has suffered (CoinDesk) What to know : BlackRock's spot bitcoin ETF (IBIT) is sixth in ETF inflows in 2025 despite posting a negative return. IBIT even took in more money than the leading gold ETF (GLD) despite that fund gaining 65% this year. "Boomers putting on a HODL clinic," wrote Bloomberg's Eric Balchunas. Spot bitcoin ETF investors may have shown themselves to be anything but momentum chasers this year. While it's no secret that BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) has been a wild success since it opened for business in January 2024, data compiled by Bloomberg's crack ETF analyst Eric Balchunas shows that success in another light. STORY CONTINUES BELOW Don't miss another story. Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today . See all newsletters Sign me up By signing up, you will receive emails about CoinDesk products and you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . So far in 2025, IBIT ranks sixth out of all ETFs in inflows, bringing in more than $25 billion of investor cash. Ranked first is Vanguard's S&P 500 ETF (VOO) with $145 billion of inflows, and ranked 25th is the iShares S&P 100 ETF (OEF) with $10 billion. Of the entire list of top 25 ETFs by inflows, noted Balchunas, IBIT is the only one with a negative return for the year — down 9.6% as of midday Friday. Even the SPDR Gold ETF (GLD) — in eight place with $20.8 billion — took in less money than IBIT despite showing a massive 65% advance in 2025. "Crypto twitter's knee-jerk reaction is to whine about the [BTC] return," said Balchunas. "But the real takeaway is that it was 6th place DESPITE the negative return (boomers putting on a HODL clinic)." "That's a really good sign long term," he continued. "If you can do $25 billion in bad year imagine the flow potential in good year." More For You Protocol Research: GoPlus Security By CoinDesk Research Nov 14, 2025 Commissioned by GoPlus What to know : As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M. GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month. Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B. View Full Report More For You Gold wins the debasement trade in 2025, but it is not the full story By James Van Straten | Edited by Jamie Crawley 1 hour ago U.S. bitcoin ETF AUM fell less than 4% despite a 36% price correction from the October high. What to know : Gold surged 65% in 2025, while bitcoin fell 7% after both assets were up roughly 30% through August. Bitcoin corrected 36% from its October all-time high, while U.S. spot bitcoin ETF holdings declined by only about 3.6%, from 1.37M BTC in October to roughly 1.32M BTC. Despite bitcoin underperforming gold on price, bitcoin exchange traded product flows outpaced gold ETP flows in 2025 Read full story Latest Crypto News Bitcoin’s quantum debate is resurfacing, and markets are starting to notice 1 min. ago Gold wins the debasement trade in 2025, but it is not the full story 1 hour ago The UK’s crypto rulebook is finally taking shape 2 hours ago Crypto's closest ally in Congress, Sen. Lummis, is retiring next year 16 hours ago SBF's cohorts at FTX take last SEC hit, Ellison banned from company roles for decade 19 hours ago Bitcoin gets 'base case' price target of $143,000 at Citigroup 21 hours ago Top Stories Gold wins the debasement trade in 2025, but it is not the full story 1 hour ago The UK’s crypto rulebook is finally taking shape 2 hours ago Crypto's closest ally in Congress, Sen. Lummis, is retiring next year 16 hours ago Bitcoin battles $89,000 price ceiling as bulls try to break U.S. sell pattern 21 hours ago SBF's cohorts at FTX take last SEC hit, Ellison banned from company roles for decade 19 hours ago Federal Reserve moves toward narrower, crypto-driven take on master accounts 21 hours ago