During the month of January, the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) exchange-traded fund (ETF) conducted aggressive Bitcoin selling, shedding a total of 132,195 BTC. This significant sell-off caused GBTC’s Bitcoin holdings to decline by 21%, from 619,220 BTC on January 11 to 487,025 BTC on January 31.
In contrast, nine other U.S. Bitcoin spot ETFs have significantly increased their holdings. A total of 142,294 bitcoins have been added to these non-GBTC ETFs since the beginning of the month. This increase goes from 18,390 BTC at the start of trading to 160,684 BTC as of January 31, representing a whopping 674% growth.
As of January 31, all 10 spot Bitcoin ETFs held a total of 647,709 BTC, a 1.6% increase over their initial combined holdings of 637,610 BTC. These holdings are worth approximately $27 billion at current market value.
Data regarding these holdings is derived from publicly available information provided by the ETF issuer. Notably, BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) had not updated its daily holdings at the time of reporting. However, it is possible to track IBIT holdings using data from blockchain platform Arkham Intelligence. According to data from Arkham, BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin ETF holds 57,488 BTC as of the current date, which suggests IBIT sold 6,000 BTC in the last day of January.
The 6,000 BTC sale by BlackRock’s iShares ETF resulted in it dethroning its position as the second-largest Bitcoin fund by holdings. Fidelity’s Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund (FBTC) is standing, holding 58,400 BTC as of January 31.
Despite a 1.6% increase in total holdings across all 10 spot Bitcoin ETFs in January, the Bitcoin price has experienced significant volatility over the same period. The price of Bitcoin started the year around $45,000 but has faced turbulence, falling below $39,000 on January 23. As of the current date, Bitcoin is trading at $42,215 and is down 8% over the past 30 days.
It is worth noting that the launch of the spot Bitcoin ETF in the US was considered a “sell the news” event by many analysts and industry experts. Some have suggested further pressure could arise in futures markets. ARK Invest CEO Cathie Wood predicted in late 2023 that investors may “sell on the news” of a spot Bitcoin ETF approval in the short term, but she highlighted the promising long-term outlook for such an ETF.