S&P 500 holds steady as Bitcoin surges on ETF inflows

• Bitcoin ETFs add $442 million in five days
• BlackRock's IBIT leads with billion-dollar inflow
• Institutional investors are back to investing in Bitcoin

U.S. stock markets closed modestly higher on Friday (19), reflecting investor caution amid uncertainty over trade tariffs and expectations of Federal Reserve rate cuts. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0,2%, the S&P 500 dropped 0,3% and the Nasdaq remained close to stability.

The focus has once again turned to trade tensions between the US and China. A report indicated that Beijing evaluate suspending a 125% tariff on American products, which helped to momentarily improve market sentiment. While Trump said that there was progress in the negotiations, the Chinese government denied any ongoing negotiations and made the talks conditional on the suspension of US tariffs.

Despite the impasse, the indexes have accumulated significant gains this week. The S&P 500 has risen more than 6% in the last three sessions and the Nasdaq has appreciated more than 8%, boosted by optimistic statements from Trump. In an interview with Time magazine, the former president said he expects the signing of several trade agreements in the coming weeks.

Reporter: China is saying there are no trade talks with the US

Trump: "Well, they had a meeting this morning... we may reveal it later, but they had meetings this morning, we have been meeting with China."

pic.twitter.com/bEiUmW32bN

— Direto da América (@DiretoDaAmerica) April 24, 2025

In the corporate sector, shares of Alphabet — Google's parent company — rose after the company reported better-than-expected results. In addition, it announced an increase in dividends and a new share buyback program worth $70 billion.

Bitcoin soars on ETF inflows

In the cryptocurrency market, Bitcoin ETFs in the US registered a strong inflow of capital. There were US$442 million in contributions on Thursday alone, marking the fifth consecutive day of positive flows. The movement is driven mainly by institutional investors.

The highlight was BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), which led with US$327,3 million. ETFs from Ark Invest and 21Shares totaled US$97 million, while Bitwise and Invesco raised US$10,2 million and US$7,5 million, respectively.

The strong inflow points to renewed institutional confidence in cryptocurrencies, even as the macroeconomic environment remains under pressure. At the time of publication, Bitcoin was trading at $95.457,60, up 3% in the last 24 hours.