Everyone from retail to institutional investors wants to have a piece of the digital gold despite fears of another trade war.
By Wahid Pessarlay
Editor Kirsten Thijssen
Updated
2 mins read
Right after Bitcoin (BTC) broke its previous all-time high of $109,000, a shocking wave of selloff was triggered from the US government’s side again.
Bitcoin reached a new ATH of $111,970 on May 22, and the global crypto market cap surpassed the $3.5 trillion mark again. A day later, US President Donald Trump threatened the European Union with a 50% tariff on all imports. Trump said the negotiations with the EU were not going well. This brought a massive wave of selloffs. Bitcoin dropped below $107,000. However, both small and large investors continued their Bitcoin accumulation.
According to data from Coinglass, the total Bitcoin balance on centralized exchanges has been consistently declining over the past month, falling from 2.26 million BTC on April 23 to 2.15 million BTC on May 24. Coinbase and Binance lead with 40,772 BTC and 39,713 BTC outflows over the past week. The declining BTC balance on CEXs shows that investors are likely accumulating the leading cryptocurrency as a long-term investment. This also hints at low price volatility paired with a steady hike in value. US-based spot BTC exchange-traded funds recorded $2.75 billion in net inflows last week — their third-largest weekly inflow — according to data from SoSoValue.
The largest single-day BTC ETF net inflow of the week was worth $934.7 million on May 22. With the latest set of inflows, the cumulative value of these US-based investment products surpassed the $44.5 billion mark. The strong ETF inflows suggest that institutional investors have also been optimistic about having Bitcoin on their lists.
Tbh, it's a good thing $BTC didn't just keep ripping.
I'd rather a slower run to new highs, with periods of consolidation.
Means that the rally can be more sustainable, rather than a huge blast-off followed by a big correction.
+ more time to get good entries.
— Miles Deutscher (@milesdeutscher) May 24, 2025
Even on May 23, when the EU tariff threat appeared, spot BTC ETFs saw a net inflow of $211.7 million, according to SoSoValue. Bitcoin is currently hovering at $107,700, 4% away from last week’s ATH.
Disclaimer: Coinspeaker is committed to providing unbiased and transparent reporting. This article aims to deliver accurate and timely information but should not be taken as financial or investment advice. Since market conditions can change rapidly, we encourage you to verify information on your own and consult with a professional before making any decisions based on this content.
Wahid has been analyzing and reporting on the latest trends in the decentralized ecosystem since 2019. He has over 4,000 articles to his name and his work has been featured on some of the leading outlets including Yahoo Finance, Investing.com, Cointelegraph, and Benzinga. Other than reporting, Wahid likes to connect the dots between DeFi and macro on his newsletter, On-chain Monk.
