Spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds in the U.S. recorded a negative week once again amid escalating trade tensions following President Donald Trump’s announcement of new tariffs, dubbed ‘Liberation Day’ duties.

According to data from SoSoValue, the 12 spot Bitcoin ETFs reported $172.89 million in net outflows over the past week, snapping a two-week inflow streak that drew in nearly $941 million into the funds.

Notably, these ETFs experienced outflows on four of the five days between March 31 and April 4. Monday saw $71.07 million in outflows, followed by $157.64 million on Tuesday, $99.86 million on Thursday, and $64.88 million on Friday. The only positive day was Wednesday, with $220.76 million in inflows.

The majority of outflows came from Grayscale GBTC, which lost $95.5 million over last week, followed by WisdomTree’s BTCW with $44.6 million per Faside data. Additionally, outflows came from IBIT, BITB, ARKB, and HODL funds that saw $35.5 million, $24.1 million, $22.2 million, and $4.9 million in net redemption, respectively.

However, it wasn’t entirely a bearish week across the board, as Grayscale’s spot Bitcoin Trust, Franklin Templeton’s EZBC, and Fidelity’s FBTC still saw combined inflows of $61.8 million. The remaining BTC ETFs remained flat over the five days.

The drop in investor demand wasn’t limited to Bitcoin ETFs. Ethereum ETFs recorded $49.93 million in outflows last week, marking six straight weeks of withdrawals totaling over $795 million.

These outflows come as Bitcoin posted its worst first-quarter performance since 2018, and investor sentiment weakened due to Trump’s new tariff plans, starting with a flat 10% on all imports and higher rates for certain key trading partners, raising fears of a new global trade war.

At press time, the crypto market was down nearly 10% over the past day. Bitcoin had dropped 9.3%, falling below the $76,500 mark, a level BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes previously warned must be held to avoid deeper losses.

Bitwise has introduced three new ETFs that provide yield-seeking investors with exposure to leading Bitcoin treasury companies, using a covered call strategy designed to capitalize on equity volatility while preserving Bitcoin-linked upside.

The funds include:

• $IMST, tracking Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy, ticker: MSTR), which currently holds 528,185 BTC.
• $IMRA, focused on MARA Holdings (MARA), a top-tier Bitcoin miner with 47,600 BTC in treasury.
• $ICOI, offering exposure to Coinbase (COIN), which holds 9,480 BTC and serves as a key on-ramp for institutional and retail Bitcoin adoption.

Each ETF employs an actively managed options overlay, writing out-of-the-money calls on the underlying equity while maintaining a long position. This approach is designed to deliver monthly income distributions—particularly attractive in today’s high-volatility environment—while retaining meaningful upside exposure to Bitcoin-linked companies.

While none of the funds directly hold Bitcoin, all three underlying equities are deeply intertwined with Bitcoin’s performance and trajectory. Strategy and Marathon are among the most prominent corporate holders of BTC, while Coinbase continues to serve as critical infrastructure for the broader ecosystem.

New Tools for Bitcoin-Aligned Capital Allocation

For corporate treasurers and institutional allocators who view Bitcoin as a long-term strategic asset, these new products represent a compelling way to gain indirect exposure while generating yield—especially in balance sheets that can’t yet directly hold BTC.

The rise of equity-based strategies like this is part of a broader shift. More public companies are actively integrating Bitcoin into their financial models, whether through direct holdings or through services and operations tied to Bitcoin mining, custody, or exchange infrastructure.

What Bitwise is offering is not just exposure, but a way to monetize volatility—something that Bitcoin-native companies experience more than most. Whether it’s MSTR stock reacting to Bitcoin’s price swings, MARA stock tracking mining difficulty and rewards, or Coinbase stock responding to changes in trading volume and regulatory sentiment, these equities are increasingly used as BTC proxies by sophisticated investors.

In recent months, institutional interest in Bitcoin ETFs, mining stocks, and companies with Bitcoin treasuries has intensified, and tools like IMST, IMRA, and ICOI provide a new angle on that demand. For companies already on a Bitcoin treasury path—or considering one—this evolution in capital markets infrastructure is notable.

What This Signals for Bitcoin Treasury Strategy

The launch of these ETFs reflects how Bitcoin is no longer just a spot asset—it’s now embedded in public equity strategy, yield generation, and portfolio construction.

Covered call structures won’t be right for every investor or treasury, but the signal is clear: the market is maturing around the idea that Bitcoin isn’t just to be held—it can be actively managed, structured, and monetized in new ways.

These new ETFs won’t replace direct holdings on a corporate balance sheet. But they may complement them—or offer a first step for firms exploring how to position around Bitcoin while still meeting traditional risk, yield, and reporting mandates.

Disclaimer: This content was written on behalf of Bitcoin For Corporations. This article is intended solely for informational purposes and should not be interpreted as an invitation or solicitation to acquire, purchase, or subscribe for securities.

Bitcoin has seen an institutional capital influx on a scale previously unfathomable. Billions of dollars are flowing into Bitcoin ETFs, reshaping the liquidity landscape, inflow-outflow dynamics, and investor psychology. While many interpret this movement as smart money executing complex strategies backed by proprietary analytics, a surprising reality surfaces: outperforming the institutions might not be as difficult as it seems.

For a more in-depth look into this topic, check out a recent YouTube video here:
Outperforming Bitcoin – Invest Like Institutions

Canary In The Bitcoin Coal Mine

One of the most revealing datasets available today is daily Bitcoin ETF flow data. These flows, denoted in USD, offer direct insight into how much capital is entering or exiting the Bitcoin ETF ecosystem on any given day. This data has a startlingly consistent relationship with short to mid-term price action.

Importantly, while these flows do impact price, they are not the primary movers of a multi-trillion-dollar market. Instead, ETF activity functions more like a mirror for broad market sentiment, especially as retail traders dominate volume during trend inflections.

Surprisingly Simple

The average retail investor often feels outmatched, overwhelmed by the data, and disconnected from the tactical finesse institutions supposedly wield. But institutional strategies are often simple trend-following mechanisms that can be emulated and even surpassed with disciplined execution and proper risk framing:

Strategy Rules:

1. Buy when ETF flows are positive for the day.
2. Sell when ETF flows turn negative.
3. Execute each trade at daily close, using 100% portfolio allocation for clarity.
4. No complex TA, no trendlines, just follow the flows.

This system was tested using Bitcoin Magazine Pro’s ETF data starting from January 2024. The base assumption was a first entry on Jan 11, 2024, at ~$46,434 with subsequent trades dictated by flow changes.

Performance vs. Buy-and-Hold

Backtesting this basic ruleset yielded a return of 118.5% as of the end of March 2025. By contrast, a pure buy-and-hold position over the same period yielded 81.7%, a respectable return, but a near 40% underperformance relative to this proposed Bitcoin ETF strategy.

Importantly, this strategy limits drawdowns by reducing exposure during downtrends, days marked by institutional exits. The compounding benefit of avoiding steep losses, more than catching absolute tops or bottoms, is what drives outperformance.

Institutional Behavior

The prevailing myth is that institutional players operate on superior insight. In reality, the majority of Bitcoin ETF inflows and outflows are trend-confirming, not predictive. Institutions are risk-managed, highly regulated entities; they’re often the last to enter and the first to exit based on trend and compliance cycles.

What this means is that institutional trades tend to reinforce existing price momentum, not lead it. This reinforces the validity of using ETF flows as a proxy signal. When ETFs buy, they’re confirming a directional shift that is already unfolding, allowing the retail investor to “surf the wave” of their capital inflow.

Conclusion

The past year has proven that beating Bitcoin’s buy-and-hold strategy, one of the toughest benchmarks in financial history, is not impossible. It requires neither leverage nor complex modeling. Instead, by aligning oneself with institutional positioning, retail investors can benefit from market structure shifts without the burden of prediction.

This doesn’t mean the strategy will work forever. But as long as institutions continue to influence price through these large, visible flow mechanics, there is an edge to be gained in simply following the money.

If you’re interested in more in-depth analysis and real-time data, consider checking out Bitcoin Magazine Pro for valuable insights into the Bitcoin market.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Always do your own research before making any investment decisions.