The Bitcoin bear market caught some components of the crypto crowd unexpectedly, as a number of buyers anticipated costs to get better at totally different phases of the correction. Nonetheless, some sections of the market noticed this corrective part, utilizing on-chain knowledge as the premise of their prognosis.
One such group is the on-chain knowledge analysts who referred to as the emergence of the bear market based mostly on the decline in obvious demand. Utilizing this similar mannequin, a outstanding market researcher has come ahead with a possible catalyst for Bitcoin’s worth restoration.
Bitcoin ETFs Kick Off 2026 With $1.8 Billion Outflows
In a latest publish on the social media platform X, pseudonymous analyst Darkfost shared that spot Bitcoin ETFs (exchange-traded funds) could play an enormous function within the crypto market turnaround. In keeping with market knowledge, demand for crypto by way of exchange-traded funds has been weak to this point in 2026.
This cautious stance from buyers and “contraction in liquidity” has had a big impact available on the market, as costs hold tumbling to new lows each different week. Darkfost highlighted that early 2026 has seemed extra like a interval of threat discount on the spot Bitcoin ETF facet, which has been largely pushed by substantial capital inflows and robust speculative momentum.
Darkfost wrote within the X publish:
Market individuals look like reassessing their threat publicity in a extra unsure macroeconomic and geopolitical setting.
Unsurprisingly, latest on-chain knowledge assist the rising apathy of buyers in the direction of the Bitcoin ETF market. In keeping with knowledge highlighted by Darkfost, the 12 months 2026 is beginning with round $1.8 billion in web outflows, which is in stark distinction to the strongly constructive ranges witnessed in 2024 and firstly of 2025.
Supply: @Darkfost_Coc on X
Sustained capital inflows and a big growth in market liquidity characterised these durations. Nonetheless, it’s price mentioning that 2025 ended on a extra adverse observe, with ETF inflows declining from $27 billion to round $20 billion by 12 months’s finish.
Therefore, this pattern reveals that the present weak point in demand appears extra like a gradual decline than a sudden drop. In any case, this demand weak point has left the Bitcoin market unprotected and extra weak to promoting strain and short-term volatility.
Darkfost concluded {that a} sustained run of Bitcoin ETF inflows could possibly be a “key catalyst” to restoring a stronger market construction and investor confidence. The indicators, nevertheless, haven’t been encouraging to this point, because the US-based BTC exchange-traded funds bled roughly $360 million in web outflows over the previous week.
Bitcoin Worth At A Look
As of this writing, the worth of BTC stands at round $70,600, reflecting an virtually 2% soar prior to now 24 hours.
The worth of BTC crosses $70,000 on the day by day timeframe | Supply: BTCUSDT chart on TradingView
Featured picture from Shutterstock, chart from TradingView
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