US-based spot Bitcoin and Ether ETFs began 2026 on a strong note, posting a combined net inflow of around $646 million on the first trading day, despite mixed sentiment across the broader crypto market.

On Friday, spot Bitcoin ETFs saw net inflows of $471.3 million, while spot Ether ETFs added $174.5 million, bringing total inflows across the two ETF types to $645.8 million, accordingto Farside data.

US spot Bitcoin ETFs posted their largest net inflow in 35 trading days since Nov. 11, when the eleven US-based ETFs collectively saw $524 million in a single day.

Meanwhile, spot Ether ETFs posted their largest single-day inflow in 15 trading days, the largest since Dec. 9, when $177.7 million was recorded.

Crypto ETFs had a tough December amid market decline

Crypto market participants often view ETF inflows as an indicator of mainstream investor sentiment toward the asset class, as well as a potential signal of short-term price direction, depending on whether ETFs are experiencing inflows or constant outflows.

Over the past 30 days, the spot prices of Bitcoin and Ether have fallen 1.56% and 1.39%, respectively, continuing a broader downturn that began shortly after Bitcoin hit a record high of $125,100 on Oct. 5, which was followed by the widely reported $19 billion liquidation event on Oct. 10.

The downtrend has led to market participants being more cautious about the crypto market.

The Crypto Fear & Greed Index, which measures overall market sentiment, has been between “Extreme Fear” and “Fear” territory since early November.

On Sunday, the Index returned to “Extreme Fear” with a score of 25.

Institutional investors are “loading up,” says crypto exec

Tonso's chief marketing officer “Wal” said in an X post on Friday that spot Bitcoin ETFs “are back,“ claiming “lots of institutional investors sold their $BTC in Q4 ‘25 to tax loss harvest.”

“Now they are loading up, this is just the beginning,” Wal said.

Despite the crypto markets stumbling towards the final months of the year, US investors poured over $31.77 billion into US crypto ETFs in 2025.

US spot Bitcoin ETFs took the lion’s share of investor interest, accumulating $21.4 billion in net inflows in 2025. However, it marked a fall from the $35.2 billion net inflows seen in 2024.