At 11 a.m. Jap Time (ET) on Jan. 11, 2024, the newly launched spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) boasted a outstanding buying and selling quantity of $2.3 billion. Nonetheless, in a dramatic flip of occasions later that afternoon, bitcoin’s spot markets skilled a steep decline, with costs falling under the $46,000 mark following a short-lived ascent to $49,000.
Bitcoin Reaches $49K Excessive Earlier than Dropping, as ETFs Document $2.3B in Trades by Mid-Day
Earlier within the day, at roughly 9 a.m. (ET), bitcoin (BTC) reached a peak worth of $49,048 on Bitstamp. This surge to the $49K degree was short-lived, as BTC’s worth plummeted, dropping beneath the $46K barrier to a low of $45,700 per unit. Shortly after 11 a.m. (ET), Bloomberg’s Senior ETF Analyst, Eric Balchunas, revealed that the brand new spot bitcoin ETFs, together with Grayscale’s GBTC, had collectively reached a buying and selling quantity of $2.3 billion.
“The ten recent spot bitcoin ETFs have seen $1.3b in buying and selling quantity to date (as a gaggle they already topped BITO’s file). If we add in GBTC we get to $2.3 [billion],” Balchunas mentioned. “And if we add in BITO (which is having file day too however isn’t a part of ‘spot’ race) we get $3.5b for the advanced,” he added. Since then, BTC’s spot market value has been an absolute rollercoaster journey.
Bitcoin chart by TradingView
The graduation of buying and selling doubtless triggered an preliminary surge in demand, adopted by a wave of short-term profit-taking, a typical sample noticed after such vital market occasions. Bitcoin’s 24-hour buying and selling quantity stands at a powerful $57.45 billion, contributing to the entire $192.48 billion traded throughout your complete cryptocurrency ecosystem. This speedy surge and subsequent drop resulted in vital liquidations of BTC lengthy positions, with $53.58 million being worn out in simply 4 hours.
Up to now 24 hours, over $119 million in BTC longs have been additionally liquidated, as reported by coinglass.com’s liquidation metrics. The introduction of spot bitcoin ETFs has injected short-term volatility into the market.

By 1:30 p.m. Jap Time on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024, BTC managed to climb again above the $46K vary to $46,531 per unit.
This volatility results in bigger value swings, signaling elevated uncertainty and danger within the crypto market. Such fluctuations are usually not uncommon following main bulletins on Wall Avenue, as markets adapt to new info and buyers recalibrate their portfolios. At the moment, the entire open curiosity in bitcoin choices is on an upward trajectory, having reached its peak on the shut of December 2023.
In a parallel growth, the entire open curiosity in bitcoin futures can also be experiencing a resurgence. CME Group is main the pack by way of bitcoin futures open curiosity with $6.59 billion in distinction to the open curiosity on Binance, which stands at $4.53 billion on Thursday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. (ET).
What do you consider bitcoin’s market motion on Thursday when the spot bitcoin ETFs began buying and selling? Share your ideas and opinions about this topic within the feedback part under.