📊 Institutional Crypto Flow Report | Week Ending May 12, 2026 Crypto posted its **6th straight week of net inflows**, with roughly **$860M** entering the market. While inflow momentum has slowed over the past two weeks compared to April averages, capital flows remain firmly positive — and that still matters. In 2026, Bitcoin’s price action has been heavily tied to institutional demand. When institutions sell, the market weakens. When they absorb supply, price tends to trend higher. A closer look shows that nearly **90% of last week’s inflows came through U.S. spot ETFs**, while outside of Strategy, independent institutional buying remained limited. The positive sentiment appears driven by easing geopolitical tensions and optimism around the finalized **Clarity Act** framework. Asset breakdown: 🔹 **$BTC :** +$706M 🔹 **$ETH :** +$78M 🔹 **$SOL :** +$48M 🔹 **$XRP :** +$40M 🔹 **$LINK :** +$1.5M 🔹 Other alts combined: +$5M One interesting signal: **BTC Short products saw $14.5M in outflows**, their largest weekly exit of 2026. At first glance, that looks bullish — less hedging, better sentiment. But the picture is more nuanced. Some of that capital may simply be rotating into other hedging tools, especially the growing IBIT options market. In some cases, institutions exiting BTC exposure no longer need short hedges at all. ETF activity: 📌 BTC ETFs bought a net **8,080 BTC** 📌 ETH ETFs bought a net **30,300 ETH** That’s an improvement from the previous week — but still below April demand levels. The concern? This week already started weak. Following the U.S. CPI release, flows turned negative: 🔻 BTC ETFs sold roughly **2,500 BTC** 🔻 ETH ETFs sold around **63,000 ETH** across Monday and Tuesday That selling pressure showed up immediately in price action. Bottom line: The market still needs sustained ETF demand to push higher. Short-term holder selling has eased, but demand hasn’t accelerated enough. If ETF inflows keep fading — or worse, turn into sustained net selling — upside becomes much harder to maintain. #CLARITYAct309Pages #