Bitcoin Slips Toward $87K as ETF Outflows Fuel Bear Market Fears

Bitcoin Price Drops As ETF Outflows Speed Up

Bitcoin fell toward the $87,000 level after hundreds of millions of dollars worth of liquidations hit the market. At the same time, crypto ETFs saw their biggest weekly outflow since mid-November 2025. Total withdrawals hit $1.73 billion, a big change from the $2.17 billion that came in just a week earlier.

The selling pressure is a sign of a general risk-off mood, and most of the money that left came from US-based investors. Since the flash crash in October 2025, people have been feeling fragile, which has kept confidence from fully rebuilding.

Ethereum And Altcoin Flows Signal Uneven Market Confidence

Ethereum had about $630 million in outflows, making it the second-largest weekly withdrawal on record and showing that demand is going down. On the other hand, ETFs linked to Solana and Chainlink saw small inflows, which means that investors are only willing to take on some risk, not all of it.

The uneven flow picture suggests that investors are still cautious rather than fully optimistic. CoinShares says that the high level of selling in major assets shows that there is still uncertainty, not that people are switching to other tokens.

Macro Pressures Affect Crypto Stories

One big problem has been that people are starting to think that the US will not cut rates any time soon. The CME FedWatch shows that the markets only think there is a small chance of this happening. Without monetary support, trend-following and risk-managed strategies have stayed on the defensive.

At the same time, people are getting more and more disappointed with crypto’s ability to protect against debasement. Digital assets haven’t convincingly taken back that story, even though government debt is rising and deficits are still there. This has led some investors to cut back on their exposure.

Technical Levels And On-Chain Benchmarks Are Being Looked At

Bitcoin is now worth more than 30% less than its all-time high, and Ethereum is worth more than 50% less. But momentum indicators don’t show any signs of capitulation. Bitcoin’s RSI near 41 shows weakness without being too oversold, which supports the idea that selling pressure could continue.

For short-term holders, the key on-chain reference level is $96.5K. For active investors, it’s $87.5K. For deeper cyclical benchmarks, it’s $81K and $56K. Bitcoin has only dropped below the realized price during major bear markets in the past. These levels are very important if sentiment gets worse.