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Morgan Stanley has raised its tracked Bitcoin holdings above $100 million after a fresh BTC purchase. The move adds to the broader rise in institutional Bitcoin exposure through exchange-traded products.
Meanwhile, Bitcoin moved lower on April 19 as geopolitical tension, liquidations, and weaker trading activity shaped short-term price action.
Morgan Stanley bought 177.76 BTC worth about $13.75 million. Following the purchase, its tracked Bitcoin holdings reached about $102.02 million across three addresses at the time of reporting.
Morgan Stanley’s Bitcoin ETF also crossed $100 million in six trading days. Product figures showed 1,348 BTC absorbed and a 0.14% fee in the U.S. market. The ETF’s early asset growth added to the broader expansion of institutional Bitcoin exposure through listed products.
Morgan Stanley’s latest BTC purchase remained smaller than the daily inflows recorded by the largest Bitcoin ETF issuers. For instance, BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) recorded about $906.1 million in net inflows over five trading days.
Bitcoin fell 1.23% over 24 hours to $75,500. The decline followed a broader risk-off reaction after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz on April 19, which increased concern about wider conflict and pushed traders away from higher-risk assets.
The wider crypto market also moved lower during the session. Total crypto market capitalization dropped 1.58% as traders reduced exposure across digital assets. At the same time, Bitcoin held above the recent swing low of $74,930.
Near-term price levels remained in focus during the decline. On the upside, $76,500 and $78,000 remained the next level to watch. On the downside, a break below $74,930 would shift attention to the next support area near $73,500.
A separate technical setup also kept higher liquidity zones in view. Bitcoin continued testing wedge resistance, while liquidation heatmaps showed strong upside liquidity near the $80,000 area. In addition, the $78,000 weekly close remained a key level in the path toward a possible move to $90,000.
Spot Bitcoin ETFs recorded nearly $996 million in net inflows over the past week, marking the strongest weekly intake in more than three months. Friday alone accounted for $663.9 million in inflows, while Tuesday added $411.5 million and Wednesday brought in $186 million. On Thursday, inflows slowed to $26 million, after the week opened with a $291 million outflow on Monday.
Total net assets across spot Bitcoin ETFs climbed above $101 billion by Friday. Daily trading volume across the products also rose to nearly $4.8 billion. The figures showed stronger demand through ETF channels during the week.
The April 19 market drop also triggered $341 million in crypto liquidations over 24 hours. Bitcoin open interest fell 9.45%, while total spot trading volume dropped 35.5%. Funding rates turned negative, and Bitcoin’s RSI14 stood at 26.31 during the pullback.
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