A record-breaking $18 billion in Bitcoin and Ethereum options expire today, sparking anticipation of sharp market moves and potential volatility.
Today marks a historic moment for the cryptocurrency market, with $18 billion worth of Bitcoin and Ethereum options contracts set to expire, the largest expiry ever recorded. This development could lead to unexpected volatility and significant opportunities for traders and investors.
For Bitcoin, the total value of expiring options has reached approximately $14.38 billion, while Ethereum’s options account for about $3.7 billion. The volume of contracts expiring today is striking—88,537 Bitcoin contracts and 796,021 Ethereum contracts—several times higher than last week’s figures. Such an increase reflects heightened activity and traders’ anticipation of profit or risk mitigation.
Bitcoin’s put-to-call (P/C) ratio is currently at 0.69, signaling optimism as more traders are placing bullish bets. Ethereum’s ratio has dropped to 0.41, suggesting even greater confidence in ETH prices rising. Lower P/C ratios indicate that more call options (bets on price increases) are being purchased compared to put options (bets on price declines).
At present, both $BTC and $ETH are trading well above their respective maximum pain prices. For Bitcoin, this price is $85,000, while for Ethereum, it is $3,000. The "maximum pain price" represents the level at which options buyers experience the most significant losses at expiry, often leading to market adjustments as prices gravitate toward this point.
