This reversal came after a difficult start to September. ETFs logged repeated outflow days, most notably Sep. 4, which saw $223 million in redemptions across issuers, followed by $160 million in outflows on Sep. 5.
Bitcoin’s price action confirmed this shift. BTC closed Sep. 8 at roughly $112,000 before rebounding alongside ETF inflows. By Sep. 13, it was trading just under $116,000, up about 3.5% week over week. Intraday swings remained contained within a $2,000 band, reflecting resilience in the face of heavier spot volumes.
The scale of buying stood out compared to previous weeks. The $2.32 billion absorbed last week was nearly ten times the total net inflows of the first week of September and far larger than late August, when aggregate flows barely broke into positive territory. Importantly, the inflows came without destabilizing volatility, showing the market’s ability to absorb allocations efficiently.
Data suggests that ETF inflows are affecting price stability. At the end of August, the spot ETF market saw significant outflows as Bitcoin drifted towards $112,000. In early September, the turnaround in flows supported BTC as it reclaimed and held above $115,000.
With spot ETFs now firmly established as the main channel for institutional exposure, their weekly direction is becoming an increasingly reliable signal for short-term market moves.
If sustained, last week’s inflows may set the tone for the second half of September. Continued net buying could give Bitcoin the base to test the $118,000-$120,000 range, while another wave of redemptions would risk eroding recent stability.
