Bitcoin breaks from tech stocks as ETF inflows return

The Story in Brief

Bitcoin gained about 8% in July while the Nasdaq-100 tumbled nearly 7%, signalling a sharp decoupling from US technology stocks. The 30-day correlation between Bitcoin and the Nasdaq dropped to 0.43 by July 28, down from a high of 0.89 in May, according to K33 Research data cited by CoinDesk. Analysts say crypto-specific factors such as spot ETF inflows, lower leverage and supply shifts are now driving Bitcoin's price more than equity markets. US spot Bitcoin ETFs attracted $853.5 million in the week ending August 7, the strongest weekly inflow since April, led by BlackRock's IBIT. Coinbase Institutional said renewed ETF buying helped support Bitcoin's recovery in July, while selling pressure in the crypto market eased. However, Bitcoin remains sensitive to Federal Reserve policy, with softer-than-expected inflation data also supporting prices last month.

NYDIG noted in its quarterly review that equity correlations alone cannot explain Bitcoin's performance when crypto-specific flows become dominant. Bitfinex added that much of the market's leverage was cleared during Bitcoin's June decline, reducing forced selling. Despite the decoupling, analysts caution that Fed rate decisions still influence the cryptocurrency's direction.