US spot bitcoin ETFs took in a net $23.2 million on Tuesday 20 October 2026, according to Farside Investors, a quiet follow-up to Monday’s $526.7 million, which was the largest daily inflow since September (see our Monday flows update). BlackRock’s IBIT added $29.9 million and Fidelity’s FBTC added $3.6 million, which implies that the remaining funds together lost about $10.3 million (our subtraction). Bitcoin closed Tuesday at $82,938.26 on Coinbase and was trading near $82,589 at about 06:05 UTC on Wednesday.
The flow table, last six sessions
| Date (2026) | IBIT | FBTC | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Oct | +65.9 | +103.1 | +175.6 |
| 14 Oct | −110.9 | −152.7 | −261.5 |
| 15 Oct | +16.8 | 0.0 | +5.1 |
| 16 Oct | −71.8 | −10.6 | −82.4 |
| 19 Oct | +665.2 | −83.6 | +526.6 / 526.7 |
| 20 Oct | +29.9 | +3.6 | +23.2 |
Figures are US$ millions. Rows for 13–19 October are from TFTC’s monthly table; the 20 October row is from Farside, because TFTC had not posted it at pull time. The two sources differ by up to $0.1 million on a given day (Monday is $526.6 million at TFTC and $526.7 million at Farside), which is rounding.
Two days, one picture
Taken together, Monday and Tuesday brought in $549.9 million, more than the $228.6 million that left in the whole week of 12–16 October (our earlier weekly tally). The picture has two sides. Monday was dominated by a single fund: IBIT’s $665.2 million came with $83.6 million leaving FBTC and $54.9 million leaving GBTC, so the net number hid a rotation. Tuesday’s smaller figure shows the buyers did not repeat on the same scale. The three funds that matter most for the daily total are IBIT, FBTC and GBTC, and on Monday they moved in opposite directions. A single large day is not a trend, and one quiet day after it does not make it a reversal either, and our Guide #63 sets out six checks for reading such a table.
October month to date
The TFTC table showed a net October outflow of $90.6 million through 19 October (13 trading days: seven inflow days and six outflow days). Adding Farside’s $23.2 million for Tuesday gives roughly −$67.4 million over 14 trading days, with eight inflow days and six outflow days. That is our arithmetic across two sources that differ by a couple of million dollars, so treat it as approximate. By fund through 19 October, TFTC listed IBIT at +$854.4 million, FBTC at −$555.7 million, ARKB at −$214.9 million, GBTC at −$133.8 million and BITB at −$50.0 million; adding Tuesday moves IBIT to about +$884 million and FBTC to about −$552 million.
The month has been a tale of two halves. Net flows were positive on 1 and 2 October (+$102.7 million and +$189.8 million), then a $487.1 million outflow on 7 October and $244.1 million on 8 October pushed the total down. Monday’s inflow more than offset the $228.6 million that left during the equity selloff week of 12–16 October.
Price and market context
IBIT closed Tuesday at $46.71, up 0.9% (Yahoo Finance). The Nasdaq Composite was flat at 26,424.82 and the VIX at 17.31, down from 19.99 on 16 October. Bitcoin’s Tuesday gain of 1.35% came with only $23.2 million of net ETF buying, so the day’s price move was not matched by large fund demand. Our new correlation analysis shows how closely bitcoin has tracked the Nasdaq over the past 30 days.
What to watch
- Wednesday’s print, published on Thursday morning: whether IBIT repeats Monday’s scale or fades.
- Tesla and Meta earnings tonight, which could move the Nasdaq and, based on the past 30 days, bitcoin with it.
- 27–28 October: FOMC; we will publish the flow figure for the decision day itself.
Where this leaves the monthly picture: with eight trading days of October left to count after Tuesday’s figure, the fund complex is within about $67 million of break-even for the month on the combined-source arithmetic above, after having been $615 million in deficit at the 16 October close by our earlier tally. Whether October ends positive depends on whether Monday’s IBIT surge proves to be the start of a run or a one-day event. That is the question Wednesday’s and Thursday’s prints will begin to answer.
These are descriptions of published data, not forecasts of what flows or prices will do next.
Method: bitcoin prices, highs, lows and closes are Coinbase Exchange candles (UTC day or UTC hour) pulled by Bitcoin Mastery at about 06:15 UTC on Wednesday 21 October 2026; the 21 October candle is still open at that time, so any closing figure quoted is the 20 October close unless stated. Index, stock, VIX, oil and yield figures are Yahoo Finance daily data (US closes of Tuesday 20 October) or the news sources cited. Other third-party figures are attributed to their source and date. ETF flow figures are Farside Investors and TFTC (US$ millions); the month-to-date total combines the two sources and is approximate.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are volatile and you can lose some or all of the money you put in. Nothing here is a recommendation to buy, sell or hold bitcoin, any exchange-traded fund, any listed security or any other asset, and the technical levels, probabilities and scenarios discussed are descriptions of published data, not forecasts. Do your own research and consult a licensed financial advisor before making investment decisions.