US-listed Ether exchange-traded funds (ETFs) recorded roughly $1.08 billion in outflows in October, the largest monthly exit of 2026 to date, according to SoSoValue data. The withdrawals have wiped out the gains the funds built up in September, leaving Ether ETFs with only marginal net inflows for the year — a thin cushion for products that have drawn billions since their 2024 debut.

Worst month since November

October's outflows have erased approximately $832 million in inflows that Ether funds accumulated in September, trimming year-to-date net inflows to about $485 million — far below where the funds stood earlier this month. The group is on track for its worst month since November of last year, and eight trading sessions remain before the month closes.

Not every session was negative: after weeks of persistent selling, the funds took in a modest $26 million on Tuesday.

The outflows came as Ether's price slid. The token fell 9.7% over the month, to $2,438 from $2,700, leaving it down nearly 18% for the year. The flows are tracked closely because spot ETFs give conventional brokerage investors Ether exposure without wallets or crypto exchanges, making the group's daily totals a running read on demand through traditional finance channels.

The stress built incrementally. Ether funds extended an outflow streak to eight consecutive sessions beginning September 29, with outflows over that stretch estimated at $641. million. Conditions then worsened in the week ending October 17, when the funds shed roughly $320 million — a third straight week of losses that pushed October totals to about $955 million and took the monthly figure past the $1 billion mark.

Bitcoin funds fare better

Bitcoin ETFs — the older and larger of the two US spot crypto fund categories — experienced a milder October, posting roughly $67 million in net outflows for the month while retaining about $809 million in net inflows for the year. Activity picked up toward month-end: Bitcoin funds recorded $527 million on Monday and $23 million on Tuesday, though the Monday outflow faded quickly. Bitcoin was trading near $82,954, down 2.2% from the start of October and 5.3% year-to-date.

Other crypto ETFs saw lighter movements. In the week ending October 17, Solana (SOL) funds logged losses of about $26 million, followed by Zcash (ZEC) at $19 million and Hyperliquid (HYPE) at $18 million.

Where the money sits

Despite the sell-off, Ether ETFs remain a substantial force in the market. Per SoSoValue's dashboard, the funds' total net assets stood at an estimated $14.98 billion as of October 20, equivalent to 5.01% of Ethereum's market capitalization.

BlackRock's ETHA leads the group by a wide margin, with $8.05 billion in net assets against cumulative net inflows of $12.37 billion since the fund's July 2024 inception, when US regulators first cleared spot Ether ETFs to list. Grayscale's ETHE shows the opposite picture: the fund has suffered cumulative net outflows of $5.49 billion amid a switch to a more costly product — the converted trust carries a higher fee than newer rival funds.

Whether the October exodus continues will depend on how the remaining eight sessions of the month unfold.

Source: Cryptopolitan