Bitcoin climbed more than 23% over the past week to around $77,500, while U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs attracted roughly $1.6 billion in net inflows from Monday through Thursday. Thursday alone accounted for about $606 million of that total.

The advance was also fueled by forced buying. More than $4.3 billion in crypto short positions were liquidated as Bitcoin rose, creating a feedback loop of short covering and higher prices. Liquidations occur when exchanges forcibly close leveraged positions whose collateral no longer meets margin requirements, and the buying needed to close those shorts can amplify a move that is already underway. The central question is whether spot Bitcoin ETF demand can become a more durable source of buying pressure.

What the Latest ETF Inflows Show

The roughly $1.6 billion recorded from Monday through Thursday was the strongest weekly showing of 2026 for U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs, according to the Benzinga report. Supplementary reporting covering Aug. 17 through Aug. 21 put the weekly total at roughly $1.92 billion, reflecting a measurement period that included Friday’s session.

BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), which has grown into the largest U.S. spot Bitcoin ETF by assets under management since the product category’s January 2024 debut, has been a major beneficiary of the renewed demand. On Tuesday, IBIT accounted for roughly 76% of the day’s $189.3 million in U.S. spot Bitcoin ETF inflows — a concentration that makes BlackRock’s fund an important one to watch if the inflow trend continues. It also highlights the outsized role a single fund played in the latest flows. Supplementary reporting for the full week identified IBIT as the largest contributor, while also recording inflows for Fidelity’s FBTC, Bitwise’s BITB and several other funds.

Can ETF Demand Push Bitcoin Through $80K?

Bitcoin’s move above $76,000 followed months of trading roughly between $60,000 and $65,000. The recent advance combined a sharp rise in price, substantial short liquidations and renewed spot ETF inflows, leaving ETF flow data as a key measure to follow after the short-covering surge.

• ETF flows: Continued net inflows would indicate that demand through regulated, exchange-traded products remains active.
• IBIT’s contribution: IBIT’s share of daily flows remains a key measure of how concentrated the buying is.
• Bitcoin’s price action: The market’s response after the rapid weekly advance will help show whether ETF demand is replacing short covering as a principal driver of buying pressure.

The Rally’s Next Test Is Whether Inflows Continue

ETF issuers publish creation and redemption figures for each trading session, which is why net flows can be tracked day by day. That daily data will be central to assessing whether the latest buying persists. A $606 million day demonstrates the scale of a single strong session, while the broader weekly totals show that demand extended beyond one trading day.

U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs, which the SEC approved for listing in January 2024, provide institutions and traditional investors with a regulated, exchange-traded route to Bitcoin exposure. The renewed inflows therefore matter not only for their size, but also because they offer a demand channel distinct from the forced buying associated with liquidated short positions.

On-chain analytics firm Lookonchain reported:

BlackRock bought 11,098 $BTC ($852M) and 132,769 $ETH ($316M) in the past 2 days. pic.twitter.com/oEirKIzUmF

— Lookonchain (@lookonchain) August 21, 2026

What the Evidence Shows

The available evidence shows that U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded their strongest weekly showing of 2026, with IBIT playing a major role in the latest inflows. It also shows that short liquidations contributed to the initial advance through a feedback loop of forced buying and rising prices.

Whether the rally develops further will depend in part on whether ETF demand remains strong after the short-covering surge. The next daily flow data will provide a clearer indication of whether the buying trend is continuing.

Source: ICO Bench