Ethereum ETFs Start Strong, But Grayscale …
Eric Balchunas, a senior ETF analyst at Bloomberg, via X (formerly Twitter), “DAY ONE in the books for Eth ETFs who did $1b in total volume, which is 23% of what the spot bitcoin ETFs did on their first day and ETHA did 25% of IBIT’s volume.” He also noted that “The gap between ETHE and The Newborn Eight is a healthy +$625m.”However, despite these healthy volumes, the price of Ethereum only increased marginally by 1% yesterday. At press time, ETH stood at $3,437, down 0.4% over the past 24 hours. In contrast, Bitcoin (BTC) price declined by 1.6%, and other altcoins also faced downward pressure, dropping between 4% and 10%.
James Seyffart, another Bloomberg ETF expert, the first day of inflows, “First full day of flows for the ETHness stakes are in. The Ethereum ETFs took in $107 million. BlackRock’s ETHA led the way with $266.5 million followed by Bitwise’s ETHW with $204 million. Very solid first day.”
Despite these positive inflows, the day was not without its challenges. The Grayscale Ethereum Trust (ETHE), which transitioned from a traditional trust to a spot ETF, saw substantial outflows amounting to $484.9 million, representing about 5% of the fund’s value. Eric Balchunas commented on this movement, “Damn. That’s a lot. Like 5% of the fund. Not sure The Eight newbies can offset w inflows at this magnitude. On flip side maybe its for best to just get it over with fast, like ripping a band aid off.”The introduction of these ETFs is part of a broader trend following the launch of similar Bitcoin ETFs in January, which also experienced a mix of inflows and significant outflows from the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC). The Ethereum Mini Trust, another Grayscale product, however, reported $15.2 million in new inflows.
Other notable Ethereum ETFs like Franklin Templeton’s (EZET) and 21Shares’ Core Ethereum ETF (CETH) saw inflows of $13.2 million and $7.4 million, respectively, indicating varying levels of investor interest across different funds. Overall, the first day of trading for these Ethereum ETFs brought in significant volumes and a complex flow of funds but did not translate into a significant price rally for Ethereum. As with Bitcoin, the Grayscale outflows for Ethereum seem to need to be cleared out of the way before the ETFs could have a significant impact on the price. At press time, ETH traded at $3,442.