Institutional exposure to cryptocurrencies via derivatives continued to grow in the second quarter, as CME Group’s newly launched Bitcoin (BTC) micro contract received considerable uptick in its first two months of trading. Since launching on May 3, CME’s Micro Bitcoin futures contract has already surpassed 1 million contracts traded, the Chicago-based derivatives market announced earlier this week. CME executive Tim McCourt said the new product has been popular among institutions and day traders seeking to hedge their spot Bitcoin price risk. Denominated at 0.1 BTC, the micro contract is one-tenth the size of one Bitcoin. By comparison, CME’s main Bitcoin …
On Oct. 14, Wilshire Phoenix investment firm released its Efficient Price Discovery report, which detailed how CME Bitcoin (BTC) futures impact Bitcoin price discovery. The firm concluded that "CME Bitcoin futures contribute more to price discovery than its related spot markets." And the researchers also suggested that: "CME Bitcoin futures have grown to become significant, this is not only demonstrated through trading volume and open interest, but also by influence on spot price formation." Wilshire's analysis correctly states that price discovery in traditional markets is a contested topic. The report also adds that studies on price formation often find that …
Open interest for Bitcoin options hit their all-time high of $2.14 billion on Sept. 24, a day before a huge quarterly expiry of 89,100 contracts — i.e., 47% of existing options contracts at the time. Options are derivative contracts that give the holder the right (though not an obligation) to purchase or sell an underlying asset at a predetermined price, also known as the “strike price.” Observing the OI trends before every monthly and quarterly expiry, there are spikes just before the date of expiry, and they have been incremental after each expiry, pointing toward the increased liquidity in the …
Bitcoin’s price rose significantly in January. The Chicago Mercantile Exchange, or CME, also hit record Bitcoin (BTC) futures trading numbers in the same month. “In January, BTC average daily volume (ADV) reached a monthly record of 17,549 contracts (87.7K equivalent bitcoin),” a CME representative told Cointelegraph. Each CME Bitcoin futures contract is worth the value of 5 BTC paid out in dollars. “In December 2020, BTC average daily volume (ADV) reached 11,179 contracts (55.9K equivalent bitcoin),” the representative added. “This represents a +57% increase.” In January, Bitcoin rose from $30,000 up to almost $42,000, according to TradingView data. The month …
Within the last hour, the Bitcoin (BTC) price surged through the $16,200 level to secure a new 2020 high at $16,473. The 6.62% move brings the top-ranked digital asset closer to closing a CME gap in the $16,465 to $16,570 zone and a growing number of analysts expect the price to break above the $17,200 level if the CME gap is closed. Despite the excitement surrounding Bitcoin’s surge to a new multi-year high, Cointelegraph contributor Michaël van de Poppe pointed out that Bitcoin has rapidly ascended to new highs without establishing strong supports. Van de Poppe said: “Many levels beneath …