BlackRock's spot Bitcoin ETF sees a surge in put option trading volume, but not bearish sentiment.

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On Friday, over 13,000 contracts of $30 out-of-the-money put options expiring on May 16 changed hands, with the ETF rising by 1.7%.

At the same time, the trading volume of $35 put options expiring in January 2026 exceeded 10,000 contracts. Amberdata's derivatives director stated that this primarily stems from market participants seeking passive income through the 'cash-secured put selling' strategy.

In this strategy, put option sellers provide downside protection and are obligated to purchase the underlying asset at the predetermined price on the expiration date.

If the underlying asset's price remains high, the seller keeps the premium; if the price drops, the seller must buy the asset at the predetermined price but still retains the premium.

Magadini noted that the trading volume of January 2026 $35 put options was +10k, indicating net selling from Wall Street, possibly from cash-secured put selling flows.

Additionally, IBIT call option trading prices continue to exceed those of put options, with a positive call/put skew indicating higher bullish sentiment.

On Friday, IBIT saw a net inflow of $393 million, accounting for the majority of total inflows into U.S.-listed spot ETFs.

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