Bitcoin Options Activity Surges As BTC-Denominated OI Breaks Record

Data shows the Bitcoin-denominated Options Open Interest has witnessed a sharp surge recently and set a new all-time high (ATH).

Bitcoin Options Trend Suggests Investors Repositioning Amid Downtrend

According to the latest weekly report from Glassnode, the recent market volatility has brought with it fresh activity on the options market. Options are one of the ways derivatives traders bet on future Bitcoin price action. An options contract grants the investor the right (but not the obligation) to buy or sell the cryptocurrency at a set price on or before a pre-set date. Bullish options bets are known as “calls,” while bearish ones as “puts.”

In the past, futures trading dominated the BTC derivatives market, but in recent times, options have gained popularity and now rival futures in terms of the Open Interest.

The Open Interest here refers to an indicator that measures the total amount of positions related to a given market that are open on all centralized exchanges. Below is the chart for this metric shared by Glassnode in the report that shows the trend in its BTC-denominated value for the options market over the past year.

As is visible in the graph, the Bitcoin Options Open Interest has shot up recently, indicating that options traders have been opening new positions. This surge in activity has come as BTC’s spot price has gone through some sharp volatility. The rise in the indicator has been so strong that it has pushed its value to a new ATH. Glassnode noted that this is a result of “a combination of volatility-arbitrage strategies and renewed demand for risk management.”

While the Options Open Interest denominated in BTC has spiked, the same hasn’t been true for the USD version, which remains well below the peak witnessed in late-October.

That said, the rise in the BTC-denominated metric is still a sign that investors have been repositioning, even if the overall USD capital involved is lower.  “This sets the stage for the upcoming key expiry, which is shaping up to be one of the most significant in the near term,” explained the analytics firm.

Like the USD-denominated Options Open Interest, the indicator for the perpetual futures market has also seen a decline recently.

As displayed in the above chart, the Bitcoin Futures Open Interest has been following a slow and steady decline since the massive deleveraging event in October. The pace of the decline indicates investors themselves have been pulling back on risk, rather than facing forceful liquidations.

The report concluded:

BTC Price

Bitcoin has returned to $91,300 following its sharp 5% surge over the past day.