Crypto Funds Suffer 2nd Straight Week of Outflows; Investors Rotate Toward Altcoins

Digital-asset investment funds suffered outflows for a second straight week, a sign profit taking is offsetting fresh money amid the crypto sell-off.

Investors pulled a net $97 million from cryptocurrency-related investment funds during the week ending May 21, or 0.2% of total assets under management, according to a Monday report by CoinShares.

• Outflows “represent a net change in sentiment following increasing regulatory scrutiny and concerns over bitcoin’s environmental credentials,” according to CoinShares.
• “Last week saw lower outflows for bitcoin with outflows of $111 million versus $115 million the previous week.”
• Investors continued to diversify into altcoin investment products last week totaling $27 million in inflows, led by cardano.
• The rotation into altcoins could “represent investors actively choosing proof-of-stake coins based on environmental considerations.”
• On May 12, Tesla announced that it was suspending bitcoin payments over environmental concerns, accelerating a move down in bitcoin prices. The cryptocurrency is down about 34% month to date.
• Ethereum products saw minor outflows of $12.6 million last week following a long run of record-breaking inflows.