Uncategorized
Bitcoin ETFs Could See $3B in Q2 Inflows Even Without Price Recovery, Says Analyst

The spot bitcoin ETFs saw sizable inflows in the first quarter despite the lame price action and at least one analyst sees the next three months as even bigger even if the prices don’t recover.
“Even if current market conditions persist in the second quarter, we are seeing strong traction from financial advisors and institutional investors,» said Juan Leon, senior investment strategist at Bitwise (whose BITB is among the bitcoin ETFs).
«While retail interest is weak due to the fixation on price action, professional investors are recognizing the global adoption momentum spurred by the Trump administration’s embrace of bitcoin, and many are seeing these market conditions as an opportunity to start or increase an allocation,» Leon added.
The ETFs saw over $1 billion in inflows in the first quarter of the year despite a challenging macro situation that sent the S&P 500 Index into its biggest quarterly loss since 2022 and bitcoin’s 13% plunge.
Leon expects inflows to be even stronger in the second quarter — as much as $3 billion or even more as wirehouse platforms unlock and legislative policy progresses.
ETF inflows possibly less than meets the eye
The $1 billion in first quarter net flows — and whatever the second quarter brings — doesn’t necessarily reflect investor interest in buying the bitcoin dip. That’s because of the so-called basis trade (also known as cash-and-carry). In this, institutional players buy the spot bitcoin ETF while shorting CME bitcoin futures, picking up yield without exposure to price movement.
That yield was well into the double-digits in late 2024 and remained nicely above the risk-free rate throughout much of the first quarter. It’s collapsed to the 5% area of late, suggesting arbitrage-related ETF inflows may dry up.
Back to bull case: It’s still early
“While a favorable price environment would certainly be a boost, it’s important to remember that adoption of spot bitcoin ETFs by these groups is still in its infancy,» said Nate Geraci, president of the ETF Store, who is also bullish on the outlook for inflows throughout the rest of the year.. «As they grow more comfortable allocating to bitcoin, this should provide a meaningful tailwind for inflows,” he added..,
While many institutions have indeed already made their first allocations into bitcoin in the past year, it represents only a small fraction of ETF investment, with most of the money still coming from retail investors — something recently noted by BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, whose IBIT is the asset-gathering leader among the spot ETFs. The more favorable regulatory stance toward the industry, not to mention the government’s own potential allocation into bitcoin, however, means that ratio could soon shift significantly.
During an ETF conference in Las Vegas earlier this month, a survey showed that 57% of advisors plan on increasing their allocations into crypto ETFs this year as crypto has lost its “reputational risk” attribute among advisors.
The view that bitcoin could serve as a “safe haven” in times of an economic decline, which investors remain anxious about, could also boost confidence in the asset, especially as fears of a potential recession grow.
“If we see continued rate cut expectations, signs of economic uncertainty, or deepening fears of a potential recession in the US, Bitcoin’s role as ‘digital gold’ will likely support additional inflows,” said David Siemer, CEO of Wave Digital Assets. “While some short-term traders may rotate out if price weakness persists, long-term players will continue to keep inflows strong, especially as institutional adoption takes off and drives demand throughout the year.»
Uncategorized
Solana’s SOL Could See Nearly 6% Price Swing as Whales Dump Coins Before U.S. Jobs Data

Solana’s SOL token is poised for a potential price swing of almost 6% after some large investors, or whales, dumped their holdings ahead of the U.S. non-farm payroll (NFP) report due later Friday.
This estimate comes from Volmex’s one-day implied volatility index (IV) for SOL. At press time, the index showed a one-day reading annualized at 109.70%, indicating an expected 24-hour price volatility of 5.74%. (The daily figure is derived by dividing the annualized volatility by the square root of 365, the number of trading days in a year.)
A movement that size represents moderate volatility, especially considering that the cryptocurrency has experienced several days of 6% or higher volatility since early March, according to data from CoinDesk.
In other words, the market is likely to be volatile, but nothing out of the ordinary.
Whale selling
Data tracked by blockchain sleuth Lookonchain shows several whales unstaked and dumped SOL worth $46.3 million into the market.
Large offloading of coins by whales often leads to bearish price action. However, the amount sold early today equates to 0.97% of the cryptocurrency’s 24-hour trading volume of $4.7 billion.
So, it’s no surprise that SOL is trading little changed at around $116, having printed a low of $112 on Thursday. Broadly speaking, the cryptocurrency has been in a downtrend since reaching a high of $295 on Jan. 19.
Focus on payrolls
The U.S. jobs data, scheduled for release at 12:30 GMT, is forecast to reveal that the economy added 130,000 jobs in March, slowdown from February’s 151,000 and well below the 12-month average of 162,300, according to FactSet.
The median estimate for the jobless rate for March is is 4.2%, the highest since November and up from February’s 4.1% reading. Average hourly earnings are forecast to have risen 0.3% month-on-month, matching February’s pace.
A weaker-than-expected figure will likely validate renewed pricing for four 25-basis-point interest-rate cuts this year, potentially sending risk assets, including cryptocurrencies, higher.
Uncategorized
Filecoin’s FIL Spikes 30% as South Korean Exchange Upbit Lists the Token

Filecoin’s FIL token spiked by 30% after South Korean exchange Upbit started listing FIL trading pairs.
The token rose to as high as $3.49 from $2.71 on Coinbase and was recently trading around $3.00. Daily trading volume increased by 68% to $303 million, according to CoinMarketCap.
Upbit said in a tweet that the FIL/KRW trading pair went live at 07:30 UTC.
Tokens listed on South Korean exchanges often trade at a premium because strict financial controls in Korea means that it is difficult for capital to flow in and out of the country, leading to a lack of arbitrage opportunities.
Uncategorized
Coinbase Institutional Is Close to Offering XRP Futures

U.S. crypto giant Coinbase Institutional said on Friday it had submitted a filing to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to roll out futures contracts tied to Ripple’s closely related XRP token.
«We’re excited to announce that Coinbase Derivatives has filed with the CFTC to self-certify $XRP futures — bringing a regulated, capital-efficient way to gain exposure to one of the most liquid digital assets,» it said in an X post. «We anticipate the contract going live on April 21, 2025.»
According to the filing, the XRP futures will operate as a monthly, cash-settled, margined contract, trading under the ticker XRL. Each contract mirrors XRP’s price, settled in USD, and represents 10,000 XRP — roughly $20,000 at the current $2 per token valuation.
Traders will have flexibility, with contracts available for the current month plus the following two, though a safeguard halts trading if XRP’s spot price swings over 10% within an hour.
When launched, the product will be the second after Chicago-based Bitnomial’s CFTC-regulated XRP futures that went live in March. XRP prices are down 2% in the past 24 hours, in line with a broader market drop.
-
Fashion6 месяцев ago
These \’90s fashion trends are making a comeback in 2017
-
Entertainment6 месяцев ago
The final 6 \’Game of Thrones\’ episodes might feel like a full season
-
Fashion6 месяцев ago
According to Dior Couture, this taboo fashion accessory is back
-
Entertainment6 месяцев ago
The old and New Edition cast comes together to perform
-
Sports6 месяцев ago
Phillies\’ Aaron Altherr makes mind-boggling barehanded play
-
Entertainment6 месяцев ago
Disney\’s live-action Aladdin finally finds its stars
-
Business6 месяцев ago
Uber and Lyft are finally available in all of New York State
-
Sports6 месяцев ago
Steph Curry finally got the contract he deserves from the Warriors