On Wednesday, BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, achieved a significant milestone in the Bitcoin ETF market, recording the largest inflows since the inception of these investment funds in January.
Bitcoin ETF Demand Soars Ahead Of US Presidential Election
According to Bloomberg, approximately $872 million flowed into BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust on Wednesday, marking a daily record for the fund. This influx highlights the strong demand for Bitcoin ETFs, with subscriptions for this nine-month-old product ranking among the highest globally for ETFs in 2024.
As a result of the inflows, BlackRock’s total holdings in Bitcoin now stand at 429,185 BTC, valued at approximately $31.04 billion. This accounts for about 2.04% of Bitcoin’s total supply, capped at 21 million coins.
The recent inflows are being attributed to a phenomenon dubbed the “Trump trade,” as pro-crypto Republican nominee Donald Trump gains momentum in betting markets ahead of the upcoming election day on November 5.
Bitcoin is on the verge of reaching new heights, fueled by a 13% rally in October. James Seyffart, an ETF analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, noted on Bloomberg Television that the demand for these ETFs is palpable, suggesting that investors are responding not only to Bitcoin’s upward momentum but also to Trump’s favorable odds in the political arena.
Trump has made headlines with his pledge to turn the US into the “crypto capital of the planet” and to create a strategic Bitcoin reserve for the country to halve the US’s $35 trillion national debt.
In contrast, Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, has pledged to support a regulatory framework for the cryptocurrency industry but has not provided further details on how her potential new administration will address the community’s calls for a change in leadership at the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and its approach to digital assets.
Price Predictions Surge
Amid bullish predictions for the leading crypto of the industry, market expert Ali Martinez has shared compelling insights regarding Bitcoin’s potential price trajectory for the months ahead.
In a recent post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Martinez analyzed historical patterns, noting that Bitcoin has typically peaked between the 1.618 and 2.272 Fibonacci retracement levels during past bull cycles.
If this trend continues, Martinez predicts that Bitcoin could reach a price range between $174,000 and $462,000 in the current cycle.
In addition to these price predictions, Martinez pointed to another bullish indicator: a significant outflow of Bitcoin from cryptocurrency exchanges. Over the past 48 hours, approximately 8,000 BTC, valued at around $576 million, have been withdrawn from exchanges.
This trend signifies a growing inclination among investors to hold onto their Bitcoin rather than sell it, which can create upward pressure on prices as BTC inches closer to its all-time high level of $73,700 reached in March.
At the time of writing, BTC was trading at $71,640. This represents a retracement of 1.2% over the past 24 hours.
Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com