Why ETF Issuers are Buying Bitcoin Despite Recession Fears

According to new data from Arkham Intelligence, three major Bitcoin ETF issuers are acquiring huge amounts of BTC today. The ETFs had $220 million in net inflows yesterday, and the issuers are potentially expecting a spike in demand.

Although Bitcoin has seen wild fluctuations over the past couple of days, institutional investors might show more confidence in the leading cryptocurrency than the TradFi market.

Why are ETF Issuers Buying Bitcoin?

The crypto market experienced wider liquidations today, and fears of a broader recession are circulating heavily. Since President Trump imposed much higher tariffs than expected, crypto is mirroring the TradFi stock market with notable downturns.

However, the US spot Bitcoin ETFs market shows that institutional demand might rebound in the short term.

“Donald Trump just tariffed the entire world. So? Grayscale is buying Bitcoin, Fidelity is buying Bitcoin, Ark Invest is buying Bitcoin,” Arkham Intelligence noted on social media.

Arkham Intelligence, a prominent blockchain analysis platform, is not the only one noticing this trend in Bitcoin ETFs. Although Bitcoin’s price has been very volatile over the last two days, it has consistently managed to return to a rough baseline.

The asset’s long-short ratio was 0.94 last week, and it shifted to 1 today. This signals a move toward more balanced investor positioning.

Previously, with 48.5% long positions against 51.5% short positions, the market exhibited a slight bearish tilt. Today, the equal split—with 50.5% long positions—signals that investors have neutralized their stance, reducing the bearish bias.

This balanced positioning suggests that market sentiment has stabilized, potentially reflecting increased uncertainty about near-term price movements. Bitcoin investors may now be awaiting clearer market signals before committing to a more directional bias.

Additionally, the Bitcoin ETFs have performed well in another key area. According to data from SoSo Value, the entire asset category had net inflows of $220 million yesterday.

Granted, Trump made his Liberation Day announcements after the stock market closed yesterday, but that’s still a very impressive amount of growth.

It is currently unclear exactly what impact today’s market turmoil had on the Bitcoin ETFs as an asset category. However, Arkham’s data suggests that these issuers are making notable investments in BTC.

If nothing else, it suggests that these firms are anticipating an uptick in demand in the near future. There are still many unanswered questions about tariffs, crypto markets, and the global economy as a whole.

If ETF inflows continue throughout this week, it will reflect institutional investors’ betting on BTC to remain more stable and sustainable than TradFi markets amid recession concerns.