Picking the Top 3 of the 11 Newly Released Bitcoin ETFs

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  • Liquidity, experience, and expense ratios are top considerations for Bitcoin ETFs.
  • iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT): The world’s largest ETF manager saw near-record inflows in its Bitcoin ETF.
  • Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC): Grayscale is Wall Street’s most experienced public crypto provider.
  • Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund (FBTC): The world’s largest 401(k) provider is ready to offer crypto as part of a retirement planning strategy.

bitcoin ETFs - Picking the Top 3 of the 11 Newly Released Bitcoin ETFs

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Some investors are tired of hearing about Bitcoin (BTC-USD) ETFs. Billionaire Jamie Dimon sums up that sentiment in his response to reporter questions about Bitcoin ETFs, telling CNBC, “I don’t care, just please stop talking about this [expletive]” earlier this week.

But Bitcoin ETFs are a major news item, and though their performance thus far is more lackluster than crypto bulls likely hoped, there’s upside ahead. We’re going to see record inflows into the funds soon as wealth managers and financial advisors allocate client capital — even if just a nominal amount — into the Bitcoin ETFs as part of diversification strategies.

That said, 11 Bitcoin ETFs hit the market this month — and finding the best to invest in isn’t as easy as many retail traders hoped.

iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT)

iShares by Blackrock sign
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Expense ratio: 0.25%, or $25 annually on a $10,000 investment

iShares Bitcoin Trust (NASDAQ:IBIT) is likely the best among Bitcoin ETFs for retail traders, as the BlackRock (NYSE:BK) owned ETF has one of the lowest expense ratios and greatest liquidity compared to peers. BlackRock, of course, is the world’s largest ETF manager by total assets under management, making the ETF a solid pick if you want a Bitcoin offering backed by mega-institutional infrastructure.

True to form, and underscoring its liquidity, IBIT already has more than $1 billion worth of Bitcoin in its coffers. That record remains nearly unmatched. It’s edged out only by gold ETF SPDR Gold Trust (NYSEARCA:GLD) securing $1 billion in assets within three days of its 2004 launch. Still, the immediate popularity of BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF makes it a top pick for investors who want to allocate a portion of their cash to crypto and watch it grow over time.

Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC)

The Grayscale Investments logo is seen on a smartphone in front of a computer screen displaying Grayscale's website.
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Expense ratio: 1.50%, or $150 annually on a $10,000 investment

Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (NYSEARCA:GBTC) is the golden standard for Bitcoin ETFs, as the company has long leveraged crypto as part of its investment portfolio offerings. Prior to the Bitcoin ETFs hitting the market, Grayscale offered a Bitcoin investment vehicle similar to a mutual fund, though it didn’t track Bitcoin’s underlying moves as closely as hoped. But the SEC approval meant that Grayscale successfully converted the fund into a Bitcoin ETF and, with its deep experience in public-facing crypto offerings, Grayscale’s a top pick for Bitcoin ETFs.

Curiously, much of the recent Bitcoin ETF underperformance might be attributable to Grayscale’s conversion. Under the old scheme, investors could effectively put cash into Bitcoin with Grayscale, but couldn’t easily liquidate. The underlying mechanisms are fairly complicated. For now, know that thousands of past Grayscale investors essentially had their funds unfrozen and could sell their holdings once conversion occurred.

Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund (FBTC)

Fidelity sign
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Expense ratio: 0.25%, or $25 annually on a $10,000 investment

Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund (NYSEMKT:FBTC), like IBIT, is another big-name Bitcoin ETF with a fairly low expense ratio. But, for investors with a ton of capital ready to allocate into Bitcoin ETFs, FBTC is waiving its relatively low fee through August 1st, 2024.

Interestingly, for the future of Bitcoin ETFs, Fidelity is the world’s largest 401(k) plan and service provider. This means that individuals and asset managers can now easily include Bitcoin as part of comprehensive retirement planning. Crypto bears have plenty of points backing up a recommendation against the move. But think about it: Would a decent asset manager be willing to leave all the potential gains on the table by not investing in a Bitcoin ETF on behalf of their clients? Even a nominal amount allocated to the asset could generate big returns compared to the total outlay, considering the crypto’s performance over the past decade. Likewise, we can expect a ton of cash to go into FBTC as employees begin strategizing their 401(k) planning for 2024.

On the date of publication, Jeremy Flint held a long position in IBIT. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.

Jeremy Flint, an MBA graduate and skilled finance writer, excels in content strategy for wealth managers and investment funds. Passionate about simplifying complex market concepts, he focuses on fixed-income investing, alternative investments, economic analysis, and the oil, gas, and utilities sectors. Jeremy’s work can also be found at www.jeremyflint.work.


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