Ether ETFs Pass $1.08B in October Outflows, Biggest Monthly Drain of 2026
Published October 21, 2026, 2:45 PM PKT. Based on Cointelegraph's October 21, 2026 report of SoSoValue data (primary source), with additional reporting from FXStreet and TokenPost (secondary sources).
U.S. spot Ether ETFs have shed $1.08 billion so far in October 2026, the biggest monthly outflow of the year and the largest monthly net outflow since November 2025, according to SoSoValue data reported by Cointelegraph on October 21. Tuesday added $26 million to the drain, pushing the monthly total past $1 billion with eight trading sessions still to go in the month.
The $1 billion line falls in October
October's withdrawals have already erased September's $832 million in net inflows, leaving year to date net inflows at approximately $485 million, according to the same SoSoValue figures. The monthly total did not arrive in a single rush. TokenPost reported on October 19 that the funds lost about $138 million in the week ended October 2, about $542 million in the week ended October 9 and about $320 million in the week ended October 16, a three week total of about $1 billion before this week's sessions added the rest.
That weekly path is why the $1 billion crossing matters as a marker rather than a surprise. The drain has been steady for most of October, not a one day event, and the month now holds the 2026 record for Ether ETF outflows with more than a week of trading still to run. Any inflows in the remaining sessions would trim the total, but reversing it would require sustained buying that October has not yet produced.
Ether slides 9.7 percent
The outflows coincided with a 9.7% slide in Ether during October, from $2,700 to $2,438 at the time of Cointelegraph's publication, according to CoinGecko data cited in the report. Ether was down nearly 18% for 2026 as a whole on the same measure. The figures describe money leaving the ETF wrappers and a falling token price in the same month, not proof that one caused the other, since ETF flows capture only one channel of Ether buying and selling.
Still, the combination is what makes the month stand out. September had brought $832 million of net inflows into the same funds. October has given all of that back and then some, cutting the year's remaining net inflow to about $485 million.
Bitcoin funds diverge, then cool
Bitcoin funds moved the other way at the start of the week. U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded $23 million in net inflows on Tuesday, adding to $527 million on Monday, according to SoSoValue data in the same report. The two days of Bitcoin buying stood in sharp contrast to the continued Ether drain, but they did not erase Bitcoin's own October deficit: Bitcoin ETFs have recorded about $67 million in net outflows in October overall.
Bitcoin traded at $82,954 at the time of publication, down 2.2% since October 1 and 5.3% year to date, according to Cointelegraph. The split between the two largest ETF groups is the clearest read on the week so far. Fresh money favored Bitcoin exposure on Monday and Tuesday, while Ether funds kept leaking, even as both tokens stayed below where they started October.
Eight sessions left
Eight trading sessions remained when the $1.08 billion total was reported, which means October's Ether outflow record for 2026 can still grow. The next data points to watch are the daily SoSoValue totals for the rest of the week and whether any single session breaks the pattern of steady withdrawals that defined the first three weeks of the month.
For now, the milestone is fixed: October 2026 is already the worst month for U.S. spot Ether ETF flows since November 2025, and the funds have less than $500 million of net inflows left for the year as a whole.
This article is news reporting and is not investment advice.
Sources
- Cointelegraph, Ether ETF October Outflows Near $1.1B as ETH Price Drops 9.7% (October 21, 2026), reporting SoSoValue data, primary source
- FXStreet, Ether ETF outflows continue, pass $1B in October so far (October 21, 2026), secondary source
- TokenPost, Ether ETF Withdrawals Reach $1 Billion After Late-September Inflows (October 19, 2026), secondary source
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